1. Intestinal helminthiases and schistosomiasis among school children in an urban center and some rural communities in southwest Nigeria.
- Author
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Agbolade OM, Agu NC, Adesanya OO, Odejayi AO, Adigun AA, Adesanlu EB, Ogunleye FG, Sodimu AO, Adeshina SA, Bisiriyu GO, Omotoso OI, and Udia KM
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Age Factors, Animals, Child, Child, Preschool, Feces parasitology, Female, Helminthiasis parasitology, Humans, Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic parasitology, Male, Nigeria epidemiology, Prevalence, Rural Population, Schistosomiasis parasitology, Sex Factors, Surveys and Questionnaires, Urban Population, Helminthiasis epidemiology, Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic epidemiology, Schistosomiasis epidemiology
- Abstract
Intestinal helminths and schistosomiasis among school children were investigated in an urban and some rural communities of Ogun State, southwest Nigeria. Fecal samples of 1,059 subjects (524 males, 535 females) aged 3-18 years were examined using direct smear and brine concentration methods between June 2005 and November 2006. The pooled prevalence of infection was 66.2%. Ascaris lumbricoides showed the highest prevalence (53.4%) (P < 0.001) followed by hookworms (17.8%), Trichuris trichiura (10.4%), Taenia sp. (9.6%), Schistosoma mansoni (2.3%), Strongyloides stercoralis (0.7%), Schistosoma haematobium (0.6%), and Enterobius vermicularis (0.3%). The prevalences of A. lumbricoides, hookworms, Taenia sp., S. mansoni, and S. stercoralis in the urban centre were similar (P > 0.05) to those in the rural communities. The fertile and infertile egg ratios of A. lumbricoides in the urban centre and the rural communities were 13: 1 and 3.7: 1, respectively. Each helminth had similar prevalences among both genders (P > 0.05). The prevalence of A. lumbricoides increased significantly with age (P < 0.001). The commonest double infections were Ascaris and hookworms, while the commonest triple infections were Ascaris, hookworms, and Trichuris. The study demonstrates the need for urgent intervention programmes against intestinal helminthiases and schistosomiasis in the study area.
- Published
- 2007
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