Epidemiological profile of urinary and intestinal schistosomiasis in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A seven-year retrospective study

Background: Despite the marked decline of schistosomiasis in Saudi Arabia in recent years, it is still reported in several regions. This study investigates the epidemiology of schistosomiasis in Saudi Arabia over seven years (2014-2020). Methodology: A retrospective study was retrieved from the annual reports of the Ministry of Health. A Geographic Information System GIS, Chi-square, and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Results: Out of the 4,371,481 tested, 680 cases were positive for schistosomiasis, with a cumulative incidence rate of 2.155/100,000 population. This number showed significant variation over the study period (p value < 0.001). The highest number of cases detected in 2015 was almost 2-fold (OR equivalent 1.93; 95%CI: 1.36-2.74) higher than in 2020. Both clinical forms (urinary and intestinal schistosomiasis) exist in Saudi Arabia (79.6% and 20.4% of all schistosomiasis cases, respectively). Schistosomiasis was reported in seven out of thirteen regions. Among them, Mecca has a relatively high number of cases (OR equivalent 5.57; 95%CI: 2.49-12.47). Conversely, the Eastern Province has a low number of cases (OR equivalent 0.09; 95%CI: 0.02-0.39) when compared to the Najran region (p value > 0.001). Regarding the distribution of schistosomiasis cases by gender and nationality, we noticed that most of the positive cases were found among males (70.6%) and expatriates (83.6%). Conclusions: The persistence of schistosomiasis and the disparity in the demographic factors underscores the imperative for intensified and integrative One Health interventions to combat this disease in Saudi Arabia.