Prevalence of malaria and soil-transmitted helminth infections and their association with undernutrition in schoolchildren residing in Mfou health district in Cameroon

Abstract

Malaria and soil-transmitted helminths are common parasitic diseases found in school children in subSaharan Africa. We determined the prevalence and intensities of these infections in apparently healthy schoolchildren living in Mfou health district, where malaria and intestinal infections are among the first causes of morbidity. In a cross-sectional study involving 503 schoolchildren, anthropometric parameters were measured. Finger-prick blood and fresh stool samples were collected for malaria parasites determination, assessment of anaemia and detection of helminths' eggs. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between these infections and other factors. Overall, 40.6 and 29.6% of children harboured malaria parasites and worms respectively. Prevalences of mild, moderate and severe undernutrition were respectively 22.2, 2.3 and 0.5% for underweight, and 21.9, 7.6 and 2.0% for stunting. In logistic regression analysis, anaemia (OR=2.64, 95% CI: 1.71-4.07) and infection with Ascaris lumbricoides (OR=1.72, 95% CI: 1.01-2.91) were significantly associated with malaria infection. Infection with Trichuris trichiura was significantly associated with increased risks of underweight (OR=2.11, 95% CI: 1.11-4.01). Moreover, rural schoolchildren showed increased chances of carrying worms, compared to their urban counterparts (OR=2.60, 95% CI: 1.75-3.86). Malaria prevention and school-based deworming activities should be re-enforced in Mfou health district to reduce the burden of these infections in children.

Co-infections of Malaria and Geohelminthiasis in Two Rural Communities of Nkassomo and Vian in the Mfou Health District, Cameroon

“…In order to assess the prevalence of these infections in Mfou rural areas, our study recorded an overall prevalence of 28.6% for geohelminth infections, with A. lumbricoides as the main parasite species, followed by T. trichiura . Although similar findings were obtained for earlier studies on schoolchildren in the same region in 2009 [12] , it did not corroborate with those in the South-West region of the country and Ethiopia [1] , [15] . This observation is not uncommon as helminths' distribution is generally known to vary with environmental conditions that are directly related to the level of healthiness of each area [13] , [36] .…”

“…Malaria in these communities is high and mainly due to Plasmodium falciparum . The overall observed prevalence of 77.2% is higher than the 40.6% recorded in 2009 amongst schoolchildren in the same health district [12] . This difference is not unlikely since our study population was larger.…”

“…In Cameroon, both malaria and helminth infections co-exist and are ranked amongst the major cause of parasitic mortality and morbidity. Plasmodium falciparum is the most prevalent and virulent of the malaria parasites [9] – [12] , while the geohelminths ( Ascaris lumbricoides , Trichuris trichiura , and Hookworm ssp. ) and Schistosoma mansoni are the major helminthic parasites [3] , [13] – [16] .…”

“…On the other hand, co-infected school-aged children have been shown with different phenotypes in the pathogenesis of malaria with increasing risk of developing severe malaria [1] , [10] , [18] , [20] – [22] . These conditions could lead to increase malaria parasitaemia, increased risks of anaemia and malnutrition, modification of the immune response to malaria [12] , [23] , [24] , and increased mortality. Therefore, the acquisition of requisite information on co-morbidity and interactions between malaria and helminthiasis would be invaluable to controlling malaria infection and clinical disease.…”

Influence of malaria, soil-transmitted helminths and malnutrition on haemoglobin level among school-aged children in Muyuka, Southwest Cameroon: A cross-sectional study on outcomes

“…Co-infections with helminth and malaria parasites have negative impact upon host and synergisms between multiple parasite species infections and infection intensity are known to exacerbate anaemia [3,8,11]. STH infections can accelerate or exacerbate malnutrition hence infections with STH and malaria parasite could singly or combined be contributing factors of malnutrition and/or anaemia as shown by several studies [12][13][14][15].…”