One of the strategies for the control and elimination of Schistosomiasis is the control of its snail vectors in endemic area as done in other tropical diseases like malaria. However, the only strategy currently practiced for the control of the disease in Nigeria is annual mass administration of preventive chemotherapy (Praziquantel) among school age children while neglecting the control of its snail intermediate host and other control components such as Behavioral Change Campaign (BCC) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). The neglect of malacology and the vector control will slow the elimination timeline and targets of 2030 set by WHO. In this study, we investigated the abundance and seasonal variations of the snail vectors of schistosomiasis and the relationship between the disease among humans and infected snail vectors. A total of 21,282 snails were collected from 13 sites across the 6 area councils of the FCT. 1,451 (6.8%) of the collected snails belong to three species; Biomphelaria pfeifferi (113), Bulinus truncatus (451) and Bulinus globosus (887) that are known to be vectors of Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma bovis respectively. These three species were all shedding cercariae both at the time of collection and afterwards when they were induced to shed cercariae. The presence and shedding of cercaria by the Bullinus and Biomphelaria species in the studied communities indicates potential risk of infection for humans and other animals who may come in contact with the water. Although the presence of these infected snail vectors was established in all the study villages except in Kuje and Pukafa, the relationship between its presence and the prevalence of the disease were not statistically significant. Nonetheless, a deliberate health orientation of the people through sensitization and health education activities, provision of safe adequate water sources and other WASH amenities to reduce exposure to the disease risk factors will contribute towards the reduction or elimination of the disease.

One of the strategies for the control and elimination of schistosomiasis is the control of its snail vectors in an endemic area, as is done in other tropical diseases like malaria. However, the strategy currently practiced for the control of the disease in Nigeria is the annual mass administration of preventive chemotherapy (Praziquantel) among school-age children while neglecting the control of its snail intermediate host and other control components. The neglect of malacology and vector control will slow the elimination targets and timeline of 2030 set by the WHO. In this study, we investigated the abundance and seasonal variations in the snail vectors of schistosomiasis and the relationship between the disease among humans and infected snail vectors. A total of 21,282 snails were collected from 13 sites across the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Of the collected snails, 1451 (6.8%) belong to three species: Biomphelaria pfeifferi (0.5%), Bulinus truncatus (2.1%) and Bulinus globosus (4.2%), which are known to be vectors of Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma bovis, respectively. These three species were all shedding cercariae both at the time of collection and afterwards, when they were induced to shed cercariae. The association between the reported prevalence of the disease and the percentage of snails shedding cercaria were heterogenous across different communities. While Takushara, with a disease prevalence of 46%, had 60% of the cercaria shedding snails, Kwaita sabo pukafa and Guduji, with disease prevalences of 56% and 26% respectively, had no cercaria shedding snails. Similarly, Dagiri rafin shahu and Gwako 1, with disease prevalences of 60% and 38%, had cercaria shedding snails of less than 1%. Nonetheless, the presence of Bulinus and Biomphelaria species in these communities indicates a potential risk of infection for humans and other animals who may come in contact with the water. Consequently, integrated multisectoral control and elimination measures that combine malacological monitoring with behavioral, environmental, and historical epidemiological assessments with a deliberate health orientation of the people through sensitization and health education is advocated to reduce exposure to the disease risk factors and contribute towards elimination of the disease.