Natural and human induced factors influencing the abundance of Schistosoma host snails in Zambia

摘要: Schistosomiasis remains a global public health problem affecting about 240 million people. In Zambia, 2 are infected while 3 live with the risk of getting infected. Research and interventions relating to schistosomiasis mainly linked disease epidemiology. Malacological ecological aspects superficially understood. Developing effective control measures requires an understanding interacting environmental socioeconomic factors host snails vis-a-vis schistosomiasis. Therefore, present work involved collecting social data in large field study two zones Zambia that different terms temperature rainfall amounts. Social collected through questionnaires included demographic, educational knowledge dynamics. Environmental physicochemical factors, aquatic plants snails. Gender (P < 0.001) significantly influences livelihood strategies, age (P = 0.069) level education (P = 0.086) have moderate influence zone I. III, none these (age, P = 0.378; gender, P = 0.311; education, P = 0.553) play significant role. parameters explained 43 41 % variation species composition for I respectively. Most respondents' (52 %, 87 %) perception is there more cases bilharzia hot season than other seasons (rainy 23 %, 7 %; cold 8 %, 0 % year round 17 %, 6 %)