An accurate understanding of the geographical distributions of both soil-transmitted helminths (STHs; Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and the hookworms Necator americanusand Ancylostoma duodenale) and schistosomes (SCH; Schistosoma mansoniand S. haematobium) is pivotal to be able to effectively design and implement mass drug administration (MDA) programs. The objective of this study was to provide up-to-date data on the distribution of both STH and SCH in Ethiopia to inform the design of the national control program and to be able to efficiently achieve the 75% MDA coverage target set by the WHO.
Between 2013 and 2015, Researchers were assessed the distributions of STH and SCH infections in a nationwide survey covering 153,238 school-aged children (aged 5–15 years), from 625 woredas (districts), representing all nine the Regional States and two City Administrations of Ethiopia. Nationwide disease maps were developed at the woreda level to enable recommendations on the design of the national MDA program.
Results of this study reveal that: 1), The prevalence of any STH infection across the study population was 21.7%, with Ascaris lumbricoides (12.8%) being the most prevalent STH, followed by hookworms (7.6%) and T. trichiura(5.9%). 2), The prevalence for any SCH was 4.0% in areas where both SCH species were evaluated. 3), Schistosoma mansoni was the most prevalent SCH (3.5 vs0.3%). 4), STHs were more prevalent in southwest Ethiopia, whereas SCH was found mostly in the west and northeast of the country. 5), The prevalence of moderate-to-heavy intensity infections was 2.0% for STHs and 1.6% for SCH. For STH, a total of 251 woredas were classified as moderately (n =178) or highly endemic (n =73), and therefore qualify for an annual and biannual MDA program, respectively. 6), For SCH, 67 woredas were classified as endemic and 8 as highly endemic, and hence they require every two years an annual MDA program, respectively.
In conclusion, the results confirm that Ethiopia is endemic for both STHs and SCH, posing a significant public health problem. Following the WHO recommendations on mass drug administration, 18 and 14 million school-aged children are in need of MDA for STHs and SCH, respectively, based on the number of SACs that live in the eligible geographical areas.

Leta, G.T., Mekete, K., Wuletaw, Y. et al. National mapping of soil-transmitted helminth and schistosome infections in Ethiopia. Parasites Vectors 13, 437 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-04317-6

This dataset is produced by the mapping of the distribution of Schistomiasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminthasis in Ethiopia between 2013 and 2015 with aimed to provide a robust estimate of the distribution of SCH and STH in Ethiopia, and hence the number of people that require treatment, with praziquantel (for SCH) and albendazole/mebendazole (for STH). The data were collected using the LINKS® data collection system developed by the Task Force for Global Health (Atlanta, USA). This is an android-based application that allows standardized entry of epidemiological data across the different teams. At the school level, the teams collected the GPS coordinates, the total number of students, the total number of boys and girls in the school, the availability of toilets, water supplies, and handwashing facilities. At the individual level, the teams collected the age, sex, the number of Ascaris, Trichuris, hookworm, S. mansonieggs, the presence of haematuria, and the number of S. haematobium eggs. Raw data were downloaded from the LINKS system server and were subsequently curated using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA).

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