Sokoto — A University don, Professor T. Adamu has said schistosomiasis infection is endemic in virtually all the states of Nigeria and called for epidemiological mapping of the disease.

Professor Adamu of the Department of Biological Sciences, Usmanu DanFodiyo University, Sokoto made this known during a paper presentation at the Usmanu DanFodiyo University Teaching Hospital monthly public lecture series.

He noted that the disease which is transmitted by various fresh water snails, "is one of the most wide spread of human parasitic diseases ranking second only to malaria in terms of its socio-economic and public health importance in tropical and sub-tropical areas.

Professor Adamu added that the disease is the most prevalent water-borne disease and one of the greatest risks to health in developing countries, yet one of the most neglected tropical diseases.

"The wide spread, uncontrolled, unmonitored proliferation of water impoundment and irrigation schemes, coupled with the phenomenon of global warming and prevailing ignorance of the disease in most endemic areas, is elevating schistosomiasis to a very serious health problem in sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria."

Ignorance, he noted, is as one of the greatest hindrances to parasitic disease control efforts especially in tropical Africa, adding that "one of the parasitic diseases that are poorly understood by many rural communities is schistosomiasis.

The disease is not recognised as an important public health problem and so receives low priority for control", he stated.

He explained that in Nigeria a lot of situations indicate prevalence of schistosomiasis associated with water resources development and stressed the need for proper management of the irrigation system as well as modernization of exiting irrigation schemes.