Background
Polyparasitic infection is a possibility in areas where parasites are endemic, especially among children. This study looked at the prevalence of polyparasitic infections among children in the Volta Region of Ghana.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study, among 550 primary school children (aged 6–14 years) in 3 districts in the Volta Region. Questionnaires were administered, and blood, stool, and urine samples were collected. Blood samples were screened for
Plasmodium falciparum
with rapid diagnostic test and microscopy, together with hemoglobin estimation. Stool and urine samples were microscopically examined using wet mount and sedimentation methods to detect intestinal parasites and
Schistosoma haematobium,
respectively. Pearson χ
2
test was used to evaluate the association between parasitic infections and socioeconomic variables, and multivariate logistic regression to evaluate paired associations among parasites.
Results
The most prominent infection among the children was
P. falciparum
(present in 383 children [69.6%]), followed by
S. haematobium
(57 [10.36%]). There was low prevalence of intestinal protozoa (present in 11 children [2%]),
Ascaris lumbricoides
(7 [1.27%]), and hookworm (5 [0.91%]). A total of 62 children had polyparasitic infection, with
P. falciparum and S. haematobium
having significant paired association (both present in 46 children [74.19%]; adjusted odds ratio, 2.45;
P
= .007).
Conclusion
The prevalence of polyparasitic infection was low in this study, and significant coinfection was seen with
P. falciparum
and
S. haematobium
.
Background: Different parts of Lannea acida A. Rich (fam: Anarcadiaceae) are used traditionally to treat various ailments including inflammation, facial pain, schistosomiasis, haemorrhoids and toothache. Objective: This study was carried out to investigate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of an aqueous extract of the stem bark of Lannea acida. Methodology: Rats were given sub-plantar injection of prostaglandin E2 to induce oedema, which was measured using calipers over 2½ hours at 30 min interval. In the acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing test, mice were given intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid and writhing movements were recorded. Oedema test was run for both prophylactic and curative protocols. In both paw oedema and writhing test models, inhibitory effects of the plant extract were compared
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