The impact of urinary schistosomiasis on the health of two community populations living in endemic areas in Tanzania.

Two populations living in separate areas in Tanzania known to be endemic for S. haematobium were investigated for the effects of the infection on community health. Both populations, each of about 450 examinees, had similar infection prevalences of 54-57% with peaks of 66-67% among the 5 to 19 year olds. Over 90% of the infections from either population were symptomatic showing mostly manifestations of vesical lesions. Radiological examinations of a random sample of 100 infected subjects from the population with the lower infection intensity revealed a high prevalence of 28% for bilateral uretero-renal lesions. The prevalence of urological lesions, including the potentially fatal uretero-renal lesions, was higher than hitherto reported from Tanzania. Urinary schistosomiasis was therefore considered to be of more serious public health importance in the country than has been accepted in the past.