THE CONTROL OF INTESTINAL SCHISTOSOMIASIS FROM MARTINIQUE ISLAND

The presence ol schistosomiasis mansoni is known in Martinique since t he beginning of the XXth century. A general survey of the distribution of the disease was carried out in 1977 and showed a mean prevalence o f 12 % (coprology and serology taken together) in the whole of the isl and. Following this survey, an integrated control programme associatin g sanitary education, detection and treatment of patients and improved sanitation, was developed. in addition, a biological control programm e against the intermediate snail host, Biomphalaria glabrata using the competitor snail, Melanoides tuberculata, was developed in the transm ission sites. The decline of snail populations and of its parasite, as well as a strong reduction of the prevalence in humans were recorded between 1977 and 1996. At the present time, only few cases correspondi ng to older infections are detected. This epidemiological situation is quite different from that in Guadeloupe island where, in spite of an excellent control programme which was achieved on the Basse-Terre dist rict, an important focus is still functionning on Grande-Terre distric t with the black rat as host reservoir. Such loci do not exist on Mart inique island.