Assessment of schistosomiasis and soil‐transmitted helminths prevalence in school‐aged children and opportunities for integration of control in local health services in Kwilu Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Luz, Raquel Inocêncio da; Linsuke, Sylvie; Lutumba, Pascal; Hasker, Epco; Boelaert, Marleen

doi:10.1111/tmi.12965

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Despite a relative paucity of studies, the trend appears to have been a spread of schistosomiasis from formally endemic areas to new areas over the last 60 years [274,275]. The most recent reports on prevalence in the DRC come from two cross-sectional surveys performed in 2016-2017 [197,276].…”

Section: Current Status Of Schistosomiasis In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Schistosomiasis with a Focus on Africa

et al. 2021

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Schistosomiasis is a common neglected tropical disease of impoverished people and livestock in many developing countries in tropical Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Substantial progress has been made in controlling schistosomiasis in some African countries, but the disease still prevails in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated 800 million people at risk of infection. Current control strategies rely primarily on treatment with praziquantel, as no vaccine is available; however, treatment alone does not prevent reinfection. There has been emphasis on the use of integrated approaches in the control and elimination of the disease in recent years with the development of health infrastructure and health education. However, there is a need to evaluate the present status of African schistosomiasis, primarily caused by Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium, and the factors affecting the disease as the basis for developing more effective control and elimination strategies in the future. This review provides an historical perspective of schistosomiasis in Africa and discusses the current status of control efforts in those countries where the disease is endemic.

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Section: Current Status Of Schistosomiasis In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Schistosomiasis with a Focus on Africa

et al. 2021

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“…Data from the available large surveys are more than twenty–years old [ 9 , 11 ]. Existing publications reporting on Schistosoma infection focus on Belgian military personnel returning from DRC to Belgium [ 12 ] or describe epidemiological studies carried out in a few areas of the country [ 9 ], such as Kinshasa [ 13 – 16 ], the capital city, and in the provinces of Kongo Central [ 17 – 19 ], Bandundu [ 20 ] Kwilu [ 21 , 22 ], Kasaï Central, Kasaï Oriental [ 11 ], Maniema [ 23 – 28 ], South–Kivu [ 29 ], Katanga [ 30 , 31 ] and Haut-Uele [ 32 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of Schistosoma mansoni infection in Ituri Province, north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

et al. 2021

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Background Schistosomiasis, caused by Schistosoma mansoni, is of great significance to public health in sub–Saharan Africa. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), information on the burden of S. mansoni infection is scarce, which hinders the implementation of adequate control measures. We assessed the geographical distribution of S. mansoni infection across Ituri province in north-eastern DRC and determined the prevailing risk factors. Methods/Principal findings Two province–wide, community–based studies were conducted. In 2016, a geographical distribution study was carried out in 46 randomly selected villages across Ituri. In 2017, an in–depth study was conducted in 12 purposively–selected villages, across the province. Households were randomly selected, and members were enrolled. In 2016, one stool sample was collected per participant, while in 2017, several samples were collected per participant. S. mansoni eggs were detected using the Kato–Katz technique. In 2017, a point–of–care circulating cathodic S. mansoni antigen (POC–CCA) urine test was the second used diagnostic approach. Household and individual questionnaires were used to collect data on demographic, socioeconomic, environmental, behavioural and knowledge risk factors. Of the 2,131 participants in 2016, 40.0% were positive of S. mansoni infection. Infection prevalence in the villages ranged from 0 to 90.2%. Of the 707 participants in 2017, 73.1% were tested positive for S. mansoni. Prevalence ranged from 52.8 to 95.0% across the health districts visited. Infection prevalence increased from north to south and from west to east. Exposure to the waters of Lake Albert and the villages’ altitude above sea level were associated with the distribution. Infection prevalence and intensity peaked in the age groups between 10 and 29 years. Preschool children were highly infected (62.3%). Key risk factors were poor housing structure (odds ratio [OR] 2.1, 95% 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02–4.35), close proximity to water bodies (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.1–2.49), long-term residence in a community (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.11–1.79), lack of latrine in the household (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.11–3.60), and swimming (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.20–5.32) and washing (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.10–2.78) in local water bodies. Conclusions/Significance Our results show that S. mansoni is highly endemic and a major health concern in Ituri province, DRC. Infection prevalence and intensity, and the prevailing socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioural risk factors in Ituri reflect intense exposure and alarming transmission rates. A robust plan of action is urgently needed in the province.

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“…No S . mansoni infection could be found, although, in the previous survey in the same area, a prevalence of 8.9% was found in SAC [ 27 ]. SCH was thus not a public health problem in the area and transmission might be somewhat limited.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…The sample size calculation was done using Epi Info 7.2 and based on the expected prevalence of hookworm of 50% as observed in a previous survey in the same area [ 27 ]. Defining the expected precision at 7.5%, with a confidence interval of 95% and a design effect of 2 [ 29 ], the resulting minimum sample size per stratum was 360.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During a previous survey by our team in Mosango and Yasa Bonga in 2016, we noticed that SCH and STH were both prevalent in schoolchildren and that hookworm was the predominant infection exceeding 50% in both school populations [ 27 ]. With such a high burden in SAC, the environment is likely to be highly contaminated, putting the entire community at risk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Community-based survey on helminth infections in Kwilu province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and implications for local control strategies

et al. 2020

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To adequately plan mass drug administration campaigns, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) needs further support for the mapping and monitoring of schistosomiasis (SCH) and soil-transmitted helminths (STH). We conducted a community-based survey in the health districts of Mosango and Yasa Bonga of the Kwilu province, DRC. A stratified two-stage cluster random sampling method was used to include participants into three different strata: Preschool-aged children (PSAC), school-aged children (SAC), and adults who were further subdivided into women of reproductive age (WRA) and other adults. In total, surveyors visited 30 villages, and 1 206 individuals participated in the study. Stool samples were collected to perform duplicate Kato-Katz smears for the detection of SCH and STH infection. Hookworm was the most prevalent infection in both districts, 34.1% (95%CI: 32.0–38.4), followed by A . lumbricoides (2.7%; 95%CI: 1.3–2.9) and T . trichiura (1.9%; 95%CI: 1.1–2.7). We did not find any SCH infection. The prevalence of each STH infection was similar across all risk groups, and the majority of the infected individuals was carrying light intensity infection. Compared to SAC, other adults were equally infected with hookworm. The prevalence of STH infection in SAC guides the MDA implementation because schoolchildren are most at risk and easily accessible program targets if school attendance is high. The current treatment strategy targets PSAC, SAC and WRA. However, this study shows that adults in general could also benefit from deworming. Therefore, community-wide preventive chemotherapy would be the most appropriate choice to control the hookworm burden rapidly.

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Assessment of schistosomiasis and soil‐transmitted helminths prevalence in school‐aged children and opportunities for integration of control in local health services in Kwilu Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cited by 10 publications

References 13 publications

Schistosomiasis with a Focus on Africa

Schistosomiasis with a Focus on Africa

Epidemiology of Schistosoma mansoni infection in Ituri Province, north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Community-based survey on helminth infections in Kwilu province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and implications for local control strategies

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