Risk of Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis among Agrarian Communities of Kogi State, Nigeria.

Background: Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) have remained a major threat to humans, especially children in developing countries, including Nigeria. Interventions have always been geared towards school-aged children, neglecting preschool-aged children and occupational risk adults. The Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis Advisory Committee (STHAC) recently suggested incorporating other at-risk groups.
Objective: This study assessed the associated risk of STH infection among agrarian communities of Kogi State, Nigeria.
Methods: A total of 310 individuals of all ages participated in the cross-sectional survey. Stool samples were analyzed using standard Kato-Katz method.
Results: A total of 106 (34.2%) individuals were infected with at least one STH. Hookworm was the most prevalent (18.1%); followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (16.8%). Worm intensity was generally light. Prevalence of infection was similar between four age groups considered (preschool, school, 'women of reproductive age' and older at-risk group). Poor socio-economic status (SES) was a major risk for STH infection. Using a 20-asset based criteria, 68 (23.1%) and 73 (24.7%) of 295 questionnaire respondents were classified into first (poorest) and fifth (richest) wealth quintiles respectively. Risk of infection with STH was 60% significantly lower in the richest wealth quintile compared to the poorest (Prevalence Ratio [PR] = 0.4843, 95% CI = 0.2704-0.8678, p = 0.015). Open defecators were more likely to harbour STH than those who did not (PR = 1.7878, 95% CI = 1.236-2.5846, p = 0.00201). Pit latrine and water closet toilets each approximately reduced STH infection by 50% (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Preventive chemotherapy for all age groups, health education and provision of basic amenities especially toilets are needed in order to achieve the goal toward the 2020 target of STH control.
Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests to declare.
(© 2019 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.)