Patterns of Urinary Schistosomiasis Infection in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria.

Abstract

This study used geographic information system as a tool to further understand the epidemiology of urinary schistosomiasis in Akure North Local Government Area (LGA) of Ondo state. Spatial, disease and demographic data were integrated using ARCGIS 10.0 to determine infection patterns of urinary schistosomiasis.

A total of 463 randomly selected households were screened for urinary schistosomiasis of which 31.7% households harboured at least one individual positive for schistosomiasis.  Spatial statistics showed infection pattern to be clustered.  The hot spot revealed areas that contributed most to the clustered pattern of infection. The entire study area is endemic for schistosomiasis with low to high risk of infection.

Keywords: GIS, Urinary Schistosomiasis, Households, Infection Pattern