Helminth Infections in children in Anza-Ihugh, Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State, Central Nigeria

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the prevalence of helminth infection among children in Anza-Ihugh village in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. A total of two hundred and fifty (250) faecal samples were collected, 128 of the samples were from primary school children while the remaining 122 samples were from children not attending school through a systematic sampling. The collected samples were examined for the presence of helminth infection. Out of the 250 samples examined for helminths, 67(26.8%) had helminth infection. 39(15.6%) of the samples were positive for Necator americanus, 11(4.4%) for Ascaris lumbricoides, 3(1.2%) for Schistosoma mansoni, 2(0.8%) for Taenia saginata, 2(0.8%) for Trichuris trichiura and 10(4.0%) for Strongyloides stercoralis. There was no significant difference in the rate of infection (χ = 0.59, df =1, p>0.05) between children attending school and those not attending school. Similarly, there was no significant difference (χ = 0.86, df =1, p>0.05) between male and female subjects which implied that both sexes have equal chances of being infected by helminth species that were found in the area. The prevalence of hookworms in the study area was attributed to the exposure and environmental factors since most of the children usually play with sand and sit on the floor, these are areas that are conducive for egg and larvae to flourish. It is therefore recommended that mass drug administration should be employed to control and eliminate the disease together with other measures which are purely environmental to interrupt reinfections.