Abstract
Background:Schistosomiasis is a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) that constitutes a public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Nigeria. There is need for updated information on the extent of the disease burden at community level to facilitate effective prioritization and monitoring of the disease.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among school-aged children in Obudu Local Government Area (LGA), one of the 18 LGAs in Cross River State, Southern Nigeria. Seven schools from seven communities were randomly selected for this study. A total of 1,113 urine samples obtained from school-aged children were screened for Schistosoma haematobium (S. haematobium) eggs using standard parasitological method of diagnosis. Proteinuria and hematuria were evaluated using reagent test strips.Results:In this study, 153 (13.7%) children were infected with S. haematobium. More males (86 or 14.7%) were infected than females (67 or 12.7%); the differences were not statistically significant. The overall geometric mean intensity of infection was 13.3 eggs/10ml of urine. Females (13.69 eggs/10ml of urine) had the highest intensity of infection than males (12.91eggs/10ml of urine). Prevalence of hematuria was 152 (13.7%) (95% C.I. = 10.649 – 18.751%) while the prevalence of proteinuria was 172 (15.5%) (95% C.I. = 5.162 – 38.712%). Prevalence of infection significantly (p<0.001) varied among the schools from 7.8% to 28.9%. Children aged 5-9 years old had the highest prevalence of infection 46 (17.1%). The prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis was 28.9%, 20.5% and 13.2%, respectively, among Betukwel, Ibong, and Ohong communities.Conclusion and Global Health Implications:Urinary schistosomiasis is still endemic in Obudu, Southern Nigeria but with decreased prevalence. Public health mitigation efforts such as mass chemotherapy, provision of safe water supply and sanitation facilities are recommended. Furthermore, health education should be encouraged within schools and communities.
Highlights
85% of the cases reported annually occur in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and over 150,000 deaths are attributable to chronic infection with S. haematobium within regions.[3]
A total of 1,113 school children were examined for urogenital schistosomiasis comprising of 587 males (52.7%) and 526 females (47.3%)
According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on preventive chemotherapy in human helminthiasis, school children living in communities where the prevalence of infection with the parasites lies between 10% and 50% require mass drug administration with praziquantel every two years to control schistosomiasis morbidity.[25]
Summary
Urogenital schistosomiasis caused by infection with Schistosoma haematobium (S. haematobium) is widespread and causes morbidity on the African continent.[1] The World Health Organization (WHO) regards the disease as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) with an estimated 732 million persons being vulnerable to infection worldwide in renowned transmission areas.[2] 85% of the cases reported annually occur in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and over 150,000 deaths are attributable to chronic infection with S. haematobium within regions.[3] Within SSA, Nigeria has the highest prevalence of human schistosomiasis[5] with about 29 million infected people.[4] Other SSA countries such as Kenya[6] and Ethiopia[7] estimate that 6 million and over 5 million people are infected with 15 million and 37 million people at risk of infection, respectively. There is need for updated information on the extent of the disease burden at community level to facilitate effective prioritization and monitoring of the disease
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