Ascariasis in Nigeria.

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and projections for the future indicate that the population could reach about 165 million by the year 2000(1). A high proportion of the population is under 15 years of age and the majority of people still live in rural areas(1). These characteristics, in combination with a socioeconomic environment influenced by poverty, poor housing, insufficient sanitation and a need for health education, favour the transmission of the human roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides. In 1986, a WHO report on the prevalence of ascariasis in Africa singled out Nigeria for special comment: 15 million Nigerians are estimated to harbour Ascaris. In this context, and that of their own recent field studies, Celia Holland and Samuel Asaolu review the present state of knowledge of ascariasis in Nigeria.