Prevalence of <em>Schistosoma haematobium</em> infection among school-aged children in Afikpo North local government area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

The present study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium among school children of ages 5 to 16 years in Afikpo North L.G.A. of Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The study was carried out between February 2016 and January 2017. Urine samples were analyzed in the laboratory using the sedimentation and centrifugation technique. Of 504 persons (250 males and 254 females) that were randomly selected and screened for S. haematobium infection, 20 (3.97 %) were found to be infected. The intensity of infection was greater in males (n=12; 2.38 %) than in the females (n =8; 1.59 %). The sex of an individual was not statistically associated with the prevalence of S. haematobium. The highest prevalence rate of S. haematobium was recorded in the age bracket of 14 -16 yrs. 7 (1.39 %) while the least prevalent was recorded among the 5 – 7 yrs.2 (0.40 %). There is no significant relationship between the age and the prevalence of S. haematobium (p> 0.05). No case of infection was found in the pupils using boreholes and rain water. The highest prevalence with respect to the source of water was in pupils using the stream 15(2.98%). There was a significant relationship between the source of water and the prevalence of S. haematobium. Additionally, there was no significant relationship between occupation of the parents and the prevalence of S. haematobium (p> 0.05). The results reveal that the prevalence of S. haematobium is not location specific, but there is a need to integrate the control of snails to reduce the prevalence of S. haematobium in Afikpo North L.G.A. Ebonyi State.