International Medical Journal Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 218 - 223 , August 2015 EDITORIAL Schistosomiasis: The Aftermath of 2012 Floods in Delta State, Southern Nigeria Edore Edwin Ito 1) , Andy Oguchukwu Egwunyenga 2) ABSTRACT Objectives: Schistosomiasis which rank second only to malaria in terms of its socioeconomic and public health is a common major public health problems in Nigeria, especially Delta State with the dawn of the recent flooding in the coastal region. This research was therefore conducted to ascertain the status of schistosomiasis among in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and a call for mass treatment in Delta State. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted between November 2012 and January 2013. Questionnaires were adminis- tered to obtain demographic information from each respondent. A total of 1,184 children from flood relief camps between 5-13 years were recruited comprising 748 males and 436 females from whom stool samples were collected and examined using Kato- katz technique. Results: Of the 1,184 stool samples examined, 65(5.49%) tested positive for intestinal schistosomiasis. Delta South District had the highest infection rate of 33(8.59%) followed by Delta Central and Delta North district with respective prevalence of 21(5.72%) and 11(4.40%) with no prevalence recorded for the control population (non-IDPs). With respect to gender, males were most infected than females with respective prevalence of 46(3.89%) and 19(1.60%). Correlation analysis showed that the pairing was significantly effective (r = 0.99, r 2 = 0.039; p < 0.05) between males and females. The highest prevalence was obtained in 8-10 years category in both sexes except in Delta South which had its prevalence peak at 5-7 years. The mean num- ber of eggs per gram (epg) of intestinal schistosomiasis indicated that the intensity of infections was heavy compared to the con- trol population which had no prevalence nor intensity for the infection. Significant associations were observed between infection and factors such as source of water, usage of toilet papers, and mother's level of education. Conclusion: Water contact activities in the area favor the transmission of the infection. Therefore this study underscores the need to increase prevention strategies against intestinal schistosomiasis among the flood victims and its affected communities. KEY WORDS prevalence status, schistosomiasis, flood, Delta State, Nigeria Received on November 13, 2014 and accepted on April 8, 2015 1) Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Delta State University P.M.B 1 Abraka, Nigeria 2) Tropical Disease Research Unit, Delta State University P.M.B 1Abraka, Nigeria Correspondence to: Edore Edwin Ito (e-mail: ito.eddie@yahoo.com) 218 INTRODUCTION In Nigeria, flooding is the most common and prevalent natural haz- ard accounting for about one-third of all catastrophes arising from geo- physical hazards and undesirably affecting more people than any other natural disaster (Adebayo and Oruonye, 2013). The 2012 floods in Delta State adversely affected more people in one year than the combined number of all the people affected by other natural hazards, including soil erosion (Hassan and Tokula, 2013). This dominance is not surpris- ing since the overtopping of the natural boundaries of rivers together with the submergence of the low-lying coastal areas, especially along the Niger-Delta axis, has become a frequent occurrence (Abam, 1988). The recent flooding experienced in various quarters of Nigeria with its attendant environmental hazards and other calamities is believed to have been the result of excess water from the Lagdo Dam situated in the State of Cameroun, which were opened thereby letting out more water than usual into Nigeria. Flood disasters according to Obeta (2013) accounted for about 38% of all the federally declared natural disasters between 1995 and 2005 in Nigeria. In many parts of Nigeria, flooding continue to be an increasing problem, catching individuals and communities by surprise in a repeatedly exasperating way and causing disruption of social activities, damage of infrastructure, displacement of corpse in mortuaries and even death of livestock and people as a result of infec- tion (Obeta, 2013 and Ito, 2014). The occurrence of flooding in Delta State caused several deaths, totally submerged no fewer than 100 communities, 12 Local Government Area and the displacement of over 300, 000 inhabitants. The advent of the floods and its possible effects on the epidemiology of schistosomiasis requires elucidation. Schistosomiasis is infections C 2015 Japan Health Sciences University & Japan International Cultural Exchange Foundation