About Female Genital Schistosomiasis Society of Nigeria
Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS), a complication of chronic infection of Schistosoma heamatobium is a neglected gynaecological disease entity that affect girls and women. It is underreported and miss-diagnosed, and rarely discussed and mentioned among healthcare professionals. It is a public health problem that affect 56 million girls and women in sub-Sahara Africa. Apart from pilot study done in some communities in Ogun State in 2016, there are no studies in Nigeria concerning female genital schistosomiasis. Thus the burden of FGS is not known.
Nigerian FGS Network is a WhatsApp group created in October 2021 to link up the FGS Scholars in Nigeria and thosed lectured by the Scholars with the aim of creating awareness about FGS. It has grown to cut across the six geo- political zones, some states and LGAs in Nigeria and it has been registered with Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission as Female Genital Schistosomiasis Society of Nigeria. The Networks will be retained to serve as a means of communication among members. The registration of the Network as a society become necessary in order to get the necessary attention and recognition from the relevant stakeholders in Nigeria.
Though there is a National Program in place, Schistosomiasis not to talk of FGS has not witnessed large-scale efforts in Nigeria. Control to date has been small scale and limited in geographic and therapeutic coverage. Preventive treatment of Schistosomiasis with praziquantel that targeted schools children is still what's been practiced for the control of Schistosomiasis in Nigeria and may not be adequate to address the FGS problem in Nigeria.
The Network in collaboration with relevant stakeholders both in Nigeria and the world over want to carry out epidemiological mapping of FGS in Nigeria and apply the principle is bottle-top approach where active search of FGS at communities where Schistosomiasis is prevalent will be carried out and application of both preventive and curative treatment with praziquantel targeting both in-school and out-of-school children at the community level so that girls will benefit from life-course management of FGS
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