Malumfashi Endemic Diseases Research Project, I

Abstract

Certain ecological considerations are relevant to existing medical studies on urinary schistosomiasis, meningococcal meningitis and malaria being carried out in a number of villages in the Malumfashi, Nigeria, area. Those of greatest relevance to medical studies are the dependence on relict water sources in stream beds and pools during the dry season and on the meteorological conditions prevailing when meningitis most commonly appears. Aspects of landforms and drainage, climate, soils, vegetation and land use are considered. The ethnic composition of the study population of nearly 50,000 is discussed. The 3 main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Maguzawa and Fulani, the Fulani being further subdivided mainly on the basis of permanency of residence. The medical studies rely heavily on demographic data, comprising basically 3 components: mapping, enumeration and registration. Mapping was made available on a scale of 1:20,000 for scattered settlements and a larger scale for compact settlements. Enumeration, relying on cross-sectional and retrospective data, is inadequate by itself. Registration, a continuous process recording changes in the population, provides more complete and useful data, both intrinsically and when serving other studies. In Malumfashi mapping and enumeration are complete and registration will start in mid-1977. Analysis of enumeration data is just beginning, and that of other data will follow later.