Analysis on the situation of schistosome infections in floating population in national schistosomiasis surveillance sites of China

Abstract

To understand the situation of Schistosoma japonicum infections in foating population and its epidemiological characteristics in China, so as to provide insights into the development of the surveillance strategy and interventions for schistosomiasis. According to the protocol of national surveillance project, indirect hemagglutination test (IHA) was employed for serological screening of S. japonicum infections among the floating population in the national schistosomiasis surveillance sites of China from 2005 to 2014, and the sero-positives were subjected to parasitological examinations. In addition, epidemiological analyses were performed to describe the characteristics of schistosomiasis in the floating population. A total of 11 834 floating population were monitored at the national schistosomiasis surveillance sites of China during the study period, and 11 558 persons received serological tests, with 419 sero-positives screened. Then, 370 sero-positive floating populations were detected using parasitological examinations, and 25 stool positives were detected. The prevalence of S. japonicum infections significantly varied in time (χ2 = 15.103 7), occupations (χ2 = 115.182 7) and regions (χ2 = 13.177 5) in the study subjects during the study period (all P < 0.05) . A high adjusted prevalence of S. japonicum infections was seen in the boatmen and fishermen in several provinces. Boatmen and fishermen are at a high risk of S. japonicum infections among the floating population, and should be paid more attention to in future schistosomiasis surveillance and control activities due to their strong mobility and difficulty of monitoring.