Parasitic Infections Among Artisanal Gold Miners in Zamfara State: A Neglected Occupational Health Risk

Artisanal gold mining in Zamfara State generates extensive environmental disturbance including stagnant water pools and soil disruption, facilitating transmission of soil-transmitted and waterborne parasites. This descriptive study examined the prevalence of parasitic infections among artisanal gold miners in selected mining communities in Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria. Stool and blood samples from 200 consenting miners were examined using Kato-Katz, formal-ether concentration, and Giemsa-stained blood film methods. Structured interviews captured work practices, personal protective equipment use, and access to healthcare. An overall parasitic prevalence of 61.5 percent was documented, with hookworm species, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Plasmodium falciparum as the predominant organisms. Schistosoma mansoni infection was identified in 7.0 percent of miners, attributed to frequent wading in contaminated water during alluvial extraction. Absence of footwear was near-universal in the study population. The study identifies artisanal mining communities as a critical but underserved population requiring targeted occupational health programmes, and recommends integration of parasitology screening into mining community outreach in Northwest Nigeria. Keywords: artisanal mining, soil-transmitted helminths, occupational parasitology, Zamfara State, neglected populations.