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Article History

Received: 3 January 2026

Accepted: 7 August 2026

First Online: 17 August 2026

Declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate: This was a sub study of the Uganda Schistosomiasis Multidisciplinary research centre project which obtained ethical approval from the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (HS2568ES 24/3/2023) after initial approval by the Research Ethics Committees of the Uganda Virus Research Institute (GC/127/940 on 29-11-2022). The Research Ethics Committee of Mbarara University of Science and Technology further reviewed the environmental health scientific content and approved the sub-study (MUST-2024-1350 on 24/5/2024. The study was conducted in accordance with the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) regulatory framework, which operates on the foundational ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Persons conducting snail sampling wore chest waders and heavy-duty gloves to prevent exposure to cercariae. The district health team and local leaders at every administrative level of sampled sites were sensitized on the objectives and importance of the study to obtain permission to work in the area. Parasitological screening of children for schistosomiasis was a mandatory public health response by the Ministry of Health and Kikuube District Health Department, whose procedures adhered to the Helsinki Declaration ( ). Informed consent for the school-aged children to participate in screening was obtained from parents/guardians and community leaders, while children gave verbal assent. Children found infected with S. mansoni were treated at their local health centre using praziquantel provided by the Ministry of Health.

Consent for publication: This is not applicable to the study because we did not collect identifying images or other personal or clinical details of participants that compromise anonymity.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.