Abstract
Parasitic infections caused by Soil Transmitted Nematodes (STN) are a common occurrence in developing countries with unfavourable environmental conditions that favour the development of eggs and larvae of STN. This was a cross sectional study carried out from January to April, 2018 to determine the prevalence and intensity of STN infections in six randomly selected primary schools in the Ilorin South Local Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria. Stool specimens were collected from 508 pupils (259 males; 249 females), which were prepared and examined using the Kato-Katz technique. Of 508 stool specimens examined, 206 (40.6%) were infected with at least one of the STN. Eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Enterobius vermicularis and hookworms were identified with prevalences of 37.9%, 4.9%, 2.4% and 30.1% respectively. In all six schools examined, 115 males (44.4%) and 91 females(36.5%) were found to be infected (P<0.01). Pupils in the age group 5-7 years were found to be the most infected (52.2%), while the least occurred in the age group 14-16 years (28.2%). Of the 206 (40.6%) infected pupils; light, moderate and heavy infections were noted in 12.2%,20.7% and 7.5% respectively. The egg-count of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, hookworms and Enterobius vermicularis were 277.8±168.4, 160±118.1, 199.7±131.4 and 33.6±13.1 eggs per gram of faeces respectively. The intensity of STN infections was higher among males (231.3±159.8) than among females (230.8±154.8). Pupils in the age group 11-13 had the highest intensity of infection (267.0±158.1). Prevalence of single and double infections was 75.3% and 24.7% respectively. STN infections are prevalent in the study area which calls for regular deworming, health education and provision of basic sanitary and social amenities to reduce the disease burden.
Highlights
Soil-transmitted nematode (STN) infections are a serious public health and medical problem especially in tropical and subtropical countries (Pullan et al, 2014; WHO, 2017) and is the second largest leading cause of mortality in children above six years in Africa.STN infections may account for up to 12% of the total disease burden among children in resource-poor-countries (WHO, 2009).The World Health Organization estimates that over 270 million preschool children and over 600 million school-age children are living in areas where these parasites are intensively transmitted (WHO, 2012)
The present study investigated the status of soil transmitted nematode infections among primary school children in an urban slum, north central Nigeria, where the disease is endemic with a view to implementing control initiatives to manage these nematode infections
The results of this study revealed that STN infections are common among the pupils of the selected primary schools in Ilorin South LGA, Kwara State, Nigeria
Summary
Soil-transmitted nematode (STN) infections are a serious public health and medical problem especially in tropical and subtropical countries (Pullan et al, 2014; WHO, 2017) and is the second largest leading cause of mortality in children above six years in Africa.STN infections may account for up to 12% of the total disease burden among children in resource-poor-countries (WHO, 2009).The World Health Organization estimates that over 270 million preschool children and over 600 million school-age children are living in areas where these parasites are intensively transmitted (WHO, 2012). Studies have shown that infection with soil transmitted nematodes affect mostly children of school going age with significant effects on morbidity and mortality resulting in more than 10,000135,000 deaths annually (Lustigman et al, 2012). The present study investigated the status of soil transmitted nematode infections among primary school children in an urban slum, north central Nigeria, where the disease is endemic with a view to implementing control initiatives to manage these nematode infections
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
