Epidemic transmission of intestinal schistosomiasis in the seasonal part of the Okavango Delta, Botswana
Authors: Appleton, C.C.1; Ellery, W.N.2; Byskov, J.3; Mogkweetsinyana, S.S.4
Source: Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Volume 102, Number 7, October 2008 , pp. 611-623(13)
Publisher: Maney Publishing
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Abstract:
A well documented epidemic of human intestinal schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma mansoni occurred at Maun in the seasonal part of the Okavango Delta, Botswana, building from very few cases in the 1950s and early 1960s to a peak prevalence of >80% in the 1980s. A retrospective analysis was performed on all available records of the prevalence of S. mansoni in the Maun area and the corresponding flow records of the Thamalakane River. These revealed a statistically significant correlation between prevalence and flow, but only when a lag period was introduced. The correlation was greatest with a lag period of 5-6 years between the rise and fall of discharge and the rise and fall of transmission. Since the hydrological events in the delta follow a cyclical pattern, another epidemic around 2020 appears likely.Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1179/136485908X311867
Affiliations: 1: School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa 2: Department of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa 3: DBL — Centre for Health Research and Development, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldensvej 57, DK 1871 Frederiksburg, Denmark 4: Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 618, Thamaga, Botswana
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