Susceptibility of Ethiopian bulinid snails to Schistosoma haematobium from Somalia

Susceptibility of four Ethiopian bulinid snails to a Somalian strain of S. haematobium was tested. Bulinus abyssinicus was highly susceptible and lowland B. africanus was partially susceptible while B. truncatus and B. forskalii were refractory to the parasite. It is suggested that Ethiopian refugees returning from Somalia and/or Somalian refugees entering Ethiopia should be screened and treated for S. haematobium before they are allowed to work/resettle in development areas where B. abyssinicus and B. africanus are known or ecologically suspected to occur.

Trichinosis from wild boar meat in Gojjam, north-west Ethiopia

An outbreak of trichinosis associated with ingestion of meat from a wild boar in Gojjam administrative region, Ethiopia, is reported. Of the 30 soldiers, 20 who ate the meat raw, became ill and 5 of them were admitted to the Armed Forces General Hospital (AFGH). Even though they presented with a typical history and clinical features the disease was not even suspected at the peripheral hospital. The diagnosis was confirmed, at the AFGH, by deltoid muscle biopsy in all the 5 cases. Trichinosis being increasingly recognized as a public health problem in Ethiopia, warrants public education and more awareness by health workers.