Assessing the prevalence of urogenital schistosomaisis and transmission risk factors amongst school-aged children around Mapé dam ecological suburbs in Malantouen district, Cameroon

Abstract

Background: Urogenital schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection of public health importance that affects over 112 million people worldwide. The study aimed at assessing the urogenital schistosomiasis prevalence and risk factors of transmission around Mape dam suburds in Malantouen district, West, Cameroon. Methods: The study was conducted using semi-structured pretested questionnaires to collect socio-demographic and ecological data. Urine samples were also collected and used to confirm the prevalence of schistosomiasis in consented school-aged children in four primary schools between March -July 2014. Snails' samples around the dam surburbs were also collected for taxonomy characterization and species identification. Data were compiled and quality control assessed and analysed using SPSS version 17 and Epiinfo data 3.1. P < 0.05 was considered statistical significance. Results: Questionnaires were administered to 229 pupils, with gender ratio of 1.04 (m/f). The prevalence of schistosomiasis haematobium was 16.6%. Mambonko school site, which is the closest to the dam suburbs, registered the greatest prevalence rate of 40%. The age group beween 10-13 years was the most infected (18.3%) and boys were more infested than girls (21.0% vs. 15.5%). Haematuria, urination pain, school absentiesm and poor performance were the major recorded complications in 39.5 and 26.3% males to female respectively. Infection rate gender disparity documented is still poorly understood and Bulinus truncatus collected from Mambonko suburb as potential snail intermediate host requires further studies. Conclusions: Authors advocated that schools and dam suburds sustained and innovative community-based surveillance and response targeted interventions implementation are needed to inform and support decisionmaking policy, but also in improving effective contextual behavioural communication changes and MDA improved uptake measures on national schistosomiasis control and elimination in Cameroon.

Elimination of schistosomiasis: the tools required

“…Even if serious pathology due to schistosomiasis has largely been overcome thanks to preventive chemotherapy, sub-Saharan Africa still includes large areas with high-intensity infection dynamics. Risk factors associated with urinary schistosomiasis in school children, investigated in Cameroon [ 19 ] and in Zambia [ 20 ] demonstrate that local transmission is strongly associated with gender and age with the highest intensity of infection in 10–15 years olds corroborating what is reported in other parts of Africa, e.g., by Tingley et al [ 21 ]. Interestingly, Stensgaard et al [ 22 ] found intensity of infection to be slightly more pronounced at higher altitudes, which goes against the belief that low night-time temperatures inhibit transmission by affecting snail reproduction negatively.…”

Gender-related factors affecting health seeking for neglected tropical diseases: findings from a qualitative study in Ethiopia

“…There is limited discussion of the role of gender in neglected tropical disease (NTD) programmes, despite known gender-specific differences in terms of prevalence [1][2][3], transmission and exposure to NTDs [4]. These differences have been attributed to biological vulnerability and gender roles [5][6][7][8].…”

Schistosomiasis Burden and Its Association With Lower Measles Vaccine Responses in School Children From Rural Cameroon

“…Annual mass drug administration (MDA) of praziquantel to schoolchildren in endemic areas represents the country primary control strategy against the disease ( 2 ). The country is home to S. mansoni ( 3 – 7 ) and S. haematobium ( 1 , 3 , 4 , 8 ) causing the hepatointestinal and urogenital forms of the disease respectively.…”

“…The mapping of the disease prevalence and associated burden has reliably guided anti-schistosomiasis intervention strategies during the control phase of the national anti-schistosomiasis programs ( 13 – 15 ). Defining the prevalence of infection and disease and the biosocial factors that foster the infection and the disease have considerably helped MDA campaigns ( 1 , 2 , 5 – 8 , 13 , 14 ). At present, schistosomiasis elimination in endemic areas like Cameroon requires tractable approaches for the mapping of risks of prevalence and burden as this will considerably help ameliorate the current control strategies into elimination tools ( 9 , 11 , 12 , 14 , 16 ).…”