Multiple infection diagnosis of intestinal helminthiasis in the assessment of health and environmental effect of development projects in Nigeria

Abstract

Patterns of intestinal helminth infections among school-aged children have been assessed in Eko-ende and Ore, as part of an overall assessment of the public health impact of Erinle Dam Reservoir in Osun State, Nigeria. The investigation was carried out between January and May 2005 using the Kato Katz thick smear technique and simple questionnaire for information on the bio-data, knowledge, attitude and practice of individuals towards disease transmission and control. Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm, Trichuris trichiura, Taenia spp., Strongyloides stercoralis and Schistosoma mansoni were recovered at an overall prevalence of 78.3% among 309 children examined. Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm, T. trichiura and S. mansoni were the most common infections while S. stercoralis and Taenia spp. were found only among a few children. Infection patterns of the common diseases were age-specific with peaks in the 11-15 age bracket. Children not attending school were significantly (P < 0.05) more at risk of infection than those attending school. Multiple infections were pronounced with over 54% double infections and 6% four parasites or more infections. The need for urgent intervention to arrest the obviously serious public health situation attributable to Erinle Dam is emphasized.

A Survey of Hookworm Infection among Pupils of School Age in Jos-North, Plateau State, Nigeria

“…However, findings from this study agrees with the work of Ejezie (1981) in his study of faecal samples from 810 primary school children in Lagos state and found that ages between 6 and 9 years had the highest prevalence of Hookworm infection. It also agrees with Ugbomoiko and Ofoezie (2006) who reported the disease to be age-specific with peaks in the 11 -15 age bracket. The high infection rate in children found in this study could be attributed to their adventurous way of life, which could expose them to the infective third stage larvae.…”

Polyparasitism in School-Aged Children Living in the Schistosomiasis Endemic Focus of Muyuka-Cameroon after &gt;8 Years of Sustained Control Measures: A Cross Sectional Study

“…The high prevalence of light infection is consistent with similar studies in Nigeria, Malawi and Ghana [45,52,55]. Light infections can occur in populations previously targeted for schistosomiasis control [56] on the other hand, high prevalence of heavy intensity infection suggestive of long-term transmission and attributable to poor sanitation and water supply facilities have also been reported [57]. Most likely, the MDA with an anti-helminthic each year and the ineffective use of the LLIN were not successful in preventing reinfections but probably aided in maintaining lower grade parasite intensities in the population.…”

Prevalence and Intensity of Soil Transmitted Helminths among School Children in Ifetedo, Osun State, Nigeria

“…The occurrences of soil transmitted helminthiasis due to the triad of A. lumbricoides, hookworms and T. trichiura as observed is this study has been reported among children by various authors from different parts of the country [4][5][6][7]. The study revealed that, the overall prevalence of the three implicated STHs infection was (44.2%) in the study area.…”