A Baseline Assessment of Schistosomiasis in Mayuge District, Uganda

Mayuge district is one of the 95 districts out of 146 districts struggling to eradicate Schistosomiasis as a public health concern. The study aimed to carry out a baseline assessment of Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia) to guide overall implementation in Mayuge District, Uganda. The baseline was a descriptive cross-sectional design that adopted both quantitative and qualitative data approaches for assessing knowledge, attitudes and practices on SCH prevention and control. A total sample size of 1,110 respondents were recruited and interviewed, with 55% above 18 years of age. 

The qualitative data collection targeted the men, women, and district leadership. Study findings showed that majority (68.6%) of the respondents had heard about the Schistosomiasis. Only 50.7% of the participants had taken part in MDA with 16.9% children 7-14 years. Findings further indicated associations between MDA participation with all demographic factors except gender, a trend like having knowledge or heard about the diseases before.

This study reveals inadequacies in terms of knowledge, attitude and practices concerning disease knowledge, prevention and control for schistosomiasis amongst the Mayuge population, which could be a challenging obstacle to the endeavors towards the elimination of these infections as a public health problem. The findings suggest need for implementation to focus on strengthening health systems and influencing behavior change for communities to demand for MDA services. 

There is need for future projects to promote ownership through involvement of the various stakeholders especially at the district level. Targeted community engagement meetings before, during Mass drug administration and after MDA is implemented are key elements of to better reach all people rather than changing opinions on treatment side-effects. There is a need for heightened and strengthened health education for improved sanitation and hygiene at household level with more emphasis on community empowerment as a long-termmeasure. This will go a long way especially when there is limited or low buy-in from the local political leaders who should champion this aspect.

Keywords: Schistosomiasis, MDA, and Demography