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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2007

K.N. Opara ,
N.I. Udoidung  and
I.G. Ukpong
K.N. Opara*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
N.I. Udoidung
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
I.G. Ukpong
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Cross River State University of Technology, Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria
*
*E-mail: nkopara@yahoo.com
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Abstract

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.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 81 , Issue 4 , December 2007 , pp. 393 - 397
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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