Ethiopia General Health Risks: Schistosomiasis

Infection is transmitted by snails living in fresh water such as lakes, rivers, streams and ponds in Africa, and some countries in Southeast Asia, South America, and the Caribbean.

Schistosomiasis risk is present in the whole country, including urban areas:

S. mansoni is endemic in Ethiopia, including in the Omo, Awash, and Blue Nile river valleys. S. haematobium is also present, specifically in the lower Awash Valley, along the Shebelle River in Ogaden (Somali Region) on the border with Somalia, and in the western part of the country on the border with South Sudan. Additional intermediate snail host for S. haematobium: Bulinus abyssinicus.

Risk of Schistosomiasis caused by:Schistosoma haematobium, Schistosoma mansoni

The main intermediate host snail is: Bulinus africanus, Biomphalaria pfeifferi, Biomphalaria sudanica, see text for additional intermediate snail host.