Genitourinary schistosomiasis among pre-primary schoolchildren in a rural community within the Cross River Basin, Nigeria

• Published in: Journal of helminthology Vol. 81; no. 4; pp. 393 - 397
• Main Authors: Opara, K.N., Udoidung, N.I., Ukpong, I.G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.12.2007
• Subjects: Age; Age Distribution; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Community; Disease Vectors; Diseases caused by trematodes; Eggs; Feces - parasitology; Female; Gender; Girls; Helminthic diseases; Hematuria; Humans; Infant; Infections; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Nigeria - epidemiology; Parasite Egg Count; Parasites; Parasitic diseases; Prevalence; Proteinuria; River basins; Rivers; Rural areas; Rural communities; Rural Health; Schistosoma haematobium - isolation & purification; Schistosomiases; Schistosomiasis; Schistosomiasis haematobia - epidemiology; Schistosomiasis haematobia - transmission; Schistosomiasis haematobia - urine; Sex Distribution; Snails - parasitology; Tropical diseases; Urine; Urine - parasitology; Water - parasitology; Worms; Nigeria; Africa; Human; Urinary system disease; Schistosoma haematobium; Trematode disease; Plathelmintha; Parasitosis; Helminthiasis; Epidemiology; Trematoda; Infection; Schistosomiasis; Helmintha; Invertebrata; Child
• ISSN: 0022-149X; 1475-2697
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022149X07853521

In Africa, most schistosomiasis control programmes defined the age 5–19 years as the target population for nationwide control through the school systems, excluding the under fives. A study was therefore undertaken to determine the prevalence and intensity of genitourinary schistosomiasis in children aged 0–5 years (pre-primary) in Adim, a rural and endemic community within the Cross River Basin, Nigeria. Of the 126 children examined, 25 (19.8%) were infected with Schistosoma haematobium, with no significant difference (P > 0.05) in infection rates between boys (21.1%) and girls (18.2%). Both prevalence and intensity of infection increased significantly (P <  0.05) with age. The overall geometric mean egg count was 5.9 eggs/10 ml urine. There was no significant association (P > 0.05) between intensity in boys (6.2 eggs/10 ml urine) and girls (5.6 eggs/10 ml urine). A total of 32.5 and 27.8% of the children had haematuria and proteinuria, respectively; it was not gender specific (P > 0.05). Six species of snail were encountered, with Bulinus globosus being the most abundant and widespread. The results of this study have shown that pre-primary schoolchildren are a source of transmission of schistosomiasis in endemic communities and should be integrated into any control intervention.