Abstract
ObjectiveThe study evaluates the prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis and diagnostic performance of chemical reagent strips used for disease diagnosis in preschool-aged children (≤5 years) in Nigeria rural communities. Patients and methodsUrine samples from 419 children were observed microscopically for Schistosoma haematobium and screened for hematuria using standard urine chemical reagent strips. ResultsPrevalence and intensity of infection were 9.8% and 14.4 eggs/10 ml of urine, respectively. Prevalence of infection was similar in girls (10%) and boys (9.6%) (p > 0.05). The intensity of infection was higher in boys (17.1 eggs/10 ml of urine) than in girls (12.8 eggs/10 ml of urine); however, this was not gender dependent (p > 0.05). The occurrence of hematuria was not associated with gender (p > 0.05), but was associated with prevalence of infection (p < 0.05). ConclusionInfection with S. haematobium occurs early in life in the communities and although intensity of infection is low, it could have serious implications in disease transmission. Hematuria, although moderately sensitive to infection, is an important morbidity indicator of urogenital schistosomiasis in the study population.
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