Urinary Schistosomiasis Among Primary School Children in Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria
Listed in
This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.Abstract
Background
Urinary schistosomiasis is a freshwater dependent urogenital infection that can be contracted by direct contact activities with water that contains the infective stage of Schistosoma haematobium . It is second only to malaria in its debilitating effects on humans and is a serious public health problem in Nigeria. Plateau State is classified as a hyper-endemic area.
Objective
This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis among primary school children in Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area, Plateau State.
Method
The cross-sectional study comprised of 806 children who provided midstream urine samples in clean labelled urine collection bottles. Sedimentation technique was used to prepare samples for parasitological examination. Data obtained was entered into SPSS version 20.0 for data analysis.
Results
The overall prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis in this study was 17.87%. Dokan Kasuwa district had the highest prevalence (27.5%) while the male children had a higher prevalence (20.29%) than the female children. Children between the ages of 15-19 years had a higher prevalence (24.53%) compared to the other age groups. Children attending private primary schools had a higher (18.51%) than their counterparts attending public primary schools (17.27%).
Conclusion
The prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis in Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area is lower than was previously reported but is still high, the situation should be closely monitored. More can be done to maintain the drop in prevalence by annual distribution of praziquantel tablets, provision of safe drinking water and creating awareness about the disease.
