Schistosomiasis endemicity and performance of preventive chemotherapy intervention programme in Nigeria in the year 2021

Abstract For managing schistosomiasis, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends mass treatment of impacted populations by administering periodic doses of praziquantel. This study assessed the impact of preventive chemotherapy on schistosomiasis endemicity in Nigeria. The study utilised secondary data from the WHO's Expanded Special Project for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN) available at the ESPEN portal. The assessment involved an examination of the extent to which preventive chemotherapy (PC) implementation was carried out and the regularity of treatment, with a connection made to the prevalence levels of schistosomiasis in Nigeria. There was no PC delivery in most states in the northeast, northwest, and North-central regions, as well as certain areas within the southwest region. PC was also not delivered in areas with high endemicity. Out of the 774 IUs, PC was carried out in 68 units (8.79%) targeting school children. Among these, successful implementation of PC was observed in 33 units (4.26%). PC was conducted only once among school children in 150 (19.38%) IUs, while 23.51% of IUs executed PC at least three times. However, 241 (31.14%) of the IUs successfully carried out effective PC (≥ 75%) once from 2013 to 2021. Conversely, a higher percentage (31.91%) of IUs indicated PC coverage below 75%, signifying ineffectiveness. Although treatment has proven effective in specific areas with a high prevalence of the disease, there is still a considerable need for substantial expansion of MDA programmes if the country aims to meet the WHO recommended objective of achieving PC coverage of ≥ 75%.