Epidemiology of intestinal helminthiasis among school children with emphasis on Schistosoma mansoni infection in Wolaita zone, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

BackgroundIntestinal helminth infections are major parasitic diseases causing public health problems in Ethiopia. Although the epidemiology of these infections are well documented in Ethiopia, new transmission foci for schistosomiasis are being reported in different parts of the country. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni and other intestinal helminth infections among school children and determine the endemicity of schistosomiasis in Wolaita Zone, southern Ethiopia.MethodsCross-sectional parasitological and malacological surveys were conducted by collecting stool samples for microscopic examination and snails for intermediate host identification. Stool samples were collected from 503 children and processed for microscopic examination using Kato-Katz and formalin-ether concentration methods. Snails collected from aquatic environments in the study area were identified to species level and Biomphalaria pfeifferi snails, the intermediate host of S. mansoni,, were individually exposed to artificial light in order to induce cercariae shedding. Cercariae shed from snails were used to infect laboratory-bred Swiss albino mice in order to identify the schistosome to species level.ResultsThe overall prevalence of intestinal helminth infections was 72.2% among school children. S. mansoni infection prevalence was 58.6%. The prevalence and intensity of S. mansoni infections varied among schools and sex of children. Swimming was the only factor reported to be significantly associated with S. mansoni infection (AOR = 2.954, 95% CI:1.962-4.449). Other intestinal helminth species identified were hookworms (27.6%), Ascaris lumbricoides (8.7%), E. vermicularis (2.8%), Taenia species (2.6%), T. trichiura (1.2%) and H. nana (0.6%). Only B. pfeifferi snails collected from streams shed schistosome cercariae and 792 adult S. mansoni worms were harvested from mice exposed to cercariae shed from B. pfeifferi on the 6th week post-exposure.ConclusionThe present study found high level of intestinal helminth infections in the study area. The study also confirmed autochthonous transmission and endemicity of S. mansoni as evidenced by both parasitological and malacological findings as well as by further establishing infections in lab-bred mice. Therefore, there is a need to include the area in the control programs with anti-helminth drugs and also consider other complementary measures including sanitation, provision of clean water supply, and snail control.

Nutritional status and intestinal parasites among young children from pastoralist communities of the Ethiopian Somali region

“…This high prevalence of IPIs is not surprising as in our study area, systematic mass anti‐helminthic drug administration or deworming programs are not implemented, and infected children are only occasionally treated based on clinical suspicion. Several previous studies have reported high prevalence of IPIs among Ethiopian preschool and school children (Abdi et al, ; Abera & Nibret, ; Alemayehu et al, ; Mahmud et al, ; Nguyen et al, ; Yami, Mamo, & Kebede, ); however, data on under five children in ESRS was not available. Depending on the area where the previous studies were conducted, the type of the most prevalent IPIs is different from our study as protozoa and helminths follow a focal distribution depending on climate and environment.…”

Intestinal Parasitic Infection and Its Associated Factors Among Primary School Students in Ethiopia; a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…A total of 14,455 primary school children with a response rate of 97.8% participated to estimate the pooled prevalence of IPI. Of the total nine regions and two city administrations, ve regions and one city administration were include; speci cally, Addis Ababa (19), Amhara (15,(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33), Oromia (34-37), Tigray (38,39), SNNPR (40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45) and Benishangule Gumuz (46). The highest prevalence (81.0%) was reported in a study conducted in Chencha town, Gamo Gofa Zone (SNNPR) (41) while the lowest prevalence (10.9%) was noted from a study in Gondar town, North West Ethiopia (Amhara) (26).…”

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].…”