SCHISTOSOMIASIS IN OMO NATIONAL-PARK OF SOUTHWEST ETHIOPIA

Schistosomiasis mansoni infection was found in more than 50 tourists who had visited Omo National Park, Ethiopia, and bathed and swum in the Mui River. A survey revealed Schistosoma mansoni infection in 41% of Park residents and in 33% of the neighboring Suri people. Eggs were found in stools and adult worms at autopsy of wild Papio anubis and Cercopithecus aethiops. Trematode larvae were found in 27% of Biomphalaria pfeifferi snails found in the Mui River. The source of the disease and the implications of its spread with the future development of the Omo Valley are discussed.