Schistosoma haematobium infection among school age children in two peri-urban areas of Lusaka, Zambia: A cross-sectional study
4 affiliations
- 1Institute of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, Levy Mwanawasa Medical University, Lusaka, Zambia.
- 2Department of Postgraduate and Research, Lusaka Apex Medical University, Lusaka, Zambia.
- 3Parasitology Reference and Research Laboratory, Centro Nacional de Microbiologia, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
- 4CIBERINFEC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract
Background: Schistosomiasis is one of the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, causing substantial morbidity and millions of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Although the WHO aims to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health problem in several countries by 2030, current epidemiological data on schistosomiasis in Zambia are insufficient to adequately characterize transmission patterns, identify priority intervention areas, and inform the planning and evaluation of control programmes. Methods: We assessed the prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis among school-age children in two peri-urban districts of Lusaka (Chongwe and Kafue). A total of 208 participants were enrolled, and infection status was determined using urine filtration microscopy, ELISA, and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Results: Urogenital schistosomiasis prevalence was significantly higher in Chongwe than in Kafue, as determined by both microscopy and qPCR. By microscopy, 34 of 48 positive cases (70.8%) were from Chongwe and 14 (29.2%) from Kafue (χ² = 4.82; P < 0.05). Similarly, qPCR revealed a prevalence of 73.9% in Chongwe and 27.84% in Kafue (χ² = 14.31; P < 0.01). No significant association was observed between sex and infection status. However, infection was significantly associated with age across the study population. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that urogenital schistosomiasis remains highly prevalent in the peri-urban districts of Chongwe and Kafue in Lusaka Province, Zambia, highlighting ongoing transmission and the need for strengthened surveillance and control efforts. These results provide updated information on the epidemiological situation of urogenital schistosomiasis in Zambia and will support planning and implementation within the WHO NTD agenda. Author summary: Urogenital schistosomiasis remains a major public health problem in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, yet current epidemiological data from Zambia are limited, particularly in peri-urban communities surrounding Lusaka. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis among school-age children in two peri-urban districts, Chongwe and Kafue, using complementary parasitological, serological, and molecular diagnostic methods. We found significantly higher infection levels in Chongwe than in Kafue, with quantitative PCR (qPCR) detecting substantially more infections than conventional urine microscopy. Infection was also significantly associated with age but not sex. These findings indicate that urogenital schistosomiasis remains actively transmitted and that reliance on microscopy alone may underestimate the true burden of infection. Our study provides current epidemiological evidence that can inform surveillance, guide targeted control interventions, and support ongoing efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health problem in Zambia.
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BibTeX
@article{mutengo2026schistosoma,
title = {{Schistosoma haematobium infection among school age children in two peri-urban areas of Lusaka, Zambia: A cross-sectional study}},
author = {Mable M Mutengo and James Mwansa and Kelly Chisanga and Emmanuel Zulu and Namwiinga Rozaria Mulunda and James Muchinga and Esther Rodríguez and Sergio Sánchez and Lourdes Castro and María J Perteguer and David Carmena and Javier Sotillo},
journal = {PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0014013},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014013},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Schistosoma haematobium infection among school age children in two peri-urban areas of Lusaka, Zambia: A cross-sectional study
AU - Mable M Mutengo
AU - James Mwansa
AU - Kelly Chisanga
AU - Emmanuel Zulu
AU - Namwiinga Rozaria Mulunda
AU - James Muchinga
AU - Esther Rodríguez
AU - Sergio Sánchez
AU - Lourdes Castro
AU - María J Perteguer
AU - David Carmena
AU - Javier Sotillo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
DO - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014013
UR - https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014013
AB - Background: Schistosomiasis is one of the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, causing substantial morbidity and millions of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Although the WHO aims to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health problem in several countries by 2030, current epidemiological data on schistosomiasis in Zambia are insufficient to adequately characterize transmission patterns, identify priority intervention areas, and inform the planning and evaluation of control programmes. Methods: We assessed the prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis among school-age children in two peri-urban districts of Lusaka (Chongwe and Kafue). A total of 208 participants were enrolled, and infection status was determined using urine filtration microscopy, ELISA, and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Results: Urogenital schistosomiasis prevalence was significantly higher in Chongwe than in Kafue, as determined by both microscopy and qPCR. By microscopy, 34 of 48 positive cases (70.8%) were from Chongwe and 14 (29.2%) from Kafue (χ² = 4.82; P < 0.05). Similarly, qPCR revealed a prevalence of 73.9% in Chongwe and 27.84% in Kafue (χ² = 14.31; P < 0.01). No significant association was observed between sex and infection status. However, infection was significantly associated with age across the study population. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that urogenital schistosomiasis remains highly prevalent in the peri-urban districts of Chongwe and Kafue in Lusaka Province, Zambia, highlighting ongoing transmission and the need for strengthened surveillance and control efforts. These results provide updated information on the epidemiological situation of urogenital schistosomiasis in Zambia and will support planning and implementation within the WHO NTD agenda. Author summary: Urogenital schistosomiasis remains a major public health problem in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, yet current epidemiological data from Zambia are limited, particularly in peri-urban communities surrounding Lusaka. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis among school-age children in two peri-urban districts, Chongwe and Kafue, using complementary parasitological, serological, and molecular diagnostic methods. We found significantly higher infection levels in Chongwe than in Kafue, with quantitative PCR (qPCR) detecting substantially more infections than conventional urine microscopy. Infection was also significantly associated with age but not sex. These findings indicate that urogenital schistosomiasis remains actively transmitted and that reliance on microscopy alone may underestimate the true burden of infection. Our study provides current epidemiological evidence that can inform surveillance, guide targeted control interventions, and support ongoing efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health problem in Zambia.
SN - 1935-2735
SN - 1935-2727
ER -