A Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Infections and Schistosomiasis mansoni among School Children in Libo-Kemkem District, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Study

Tesfahun Addisu; Achenef Asmamaw

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12

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A Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Infections and Schistosomiasis mansoni among School Children in Libo-Kemkem District, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Study

Tesfahun Addisu, Achenef Asmamaw

Published in American Journal of Health Research (Volume 3, Issue 2)

Received: 30 January 2015 Accepted: 13 February 2015 Published: 2 March 2015

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Abstract

The burden of disease caused by infection with schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthes remains enormous. It is widely recognized that school children carry the heaviest burden of morbidity. Apart from the morbidity associated with acute infections, those who are chronically infected are often physically and intellectually compromised by anaemia, leading to attention deficits, learning disabilities, school absenteeism and higher dropout rates. Taking this into consideration, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, the intensity and the relative frequency of multi-parasitism of the major soil-transmitted helminthes (Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and the hookworms) and Schistosoma mansoni. A cross sectional survey was conducted from February 10, 2011 up to May 10, 2011, in three primary schools in Libo-Kemkem District, northwest Ethiopia. 365(173 males and 192 females) pupils, selected using systematic sampling using a random start, had their fecal specimens been examined using Kato-Katz cellophane fecal thick smear technique (41.7 mg template). S. mansoni was the most prevalent (15.9%) followed by A. lumbricoides (11.0%), the hookworms (8.2%) and T. trichiura (1.6%) and the corresponding geometric mean egg counts per gram were 122, 1749, 582 and 13 respectively. Single, double and triple infections encountered were 21.1%, 4.9% and 1.9% respectively. Most of the double infections were a combination of A. lumbricoides and the hookworms (3.6%). All schools combined, the average prevalence and egg count for each helminthes were neither age nor sex related but intensity of S. mansoni by age group which was statistically significant (p<0.05). The distribution of helminthes among pupils was over dispersed: that is, while most pupils harbored few or no and a few harbored many of them. Although, as compared to the previous studies, the present study showed a lowered infection rates, the relative increase in S. mansoni prevalence signifies a need for promoting intervention measures.

Published in	American Journal of Health Research (Volume 3, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12
Page(s)	57-62
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Soil-transmitted helminthes infection, Schistosma mansoni, Ethiopia

References

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[5]	Malone JB, Yilma JM, McCarroll JC, Erko B, Mukaratirwa S, Zhou X. Satellite climatology and the environmental risk of Schistosoma mansoni in Ethiopia and East Africa, Acta Trop, 2001, 79: pp 59-72
[6]	Tadesse Z, Hailemariam A, Kolaczinskic JH. Potential for integrated control of neglected tropical diseases in Ethiopia: mini-review. Trans R Soc Trop Med and Hyg, 2008, 102: pp 213-214
[7]	Mwangi TW, Bethony J, Brooker S. Malaria and helminths interactions in humans: an epidemiological viewpoint. Ann Trop Med Parasitol, 2006, 100: pp 551-570
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[9]	King HC. Parasites and poverty-the case of schistosomiasis: review, Acta Tropica, 2010, 113: pp 95–104
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[16]	Andy EO and Palmer AD. Soil-transmitted helminthiasis among school age children in Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria, African Journal of Biotechnology, 2005, 4: pp 938-941
[17]	Jacobsen KH, Ribeiro PS, Quist BK, and Rydbeck BV. Prevalence of intestinal parasites in Young Quichua Children in the Highlands of Rural Ecuador, J Health Popul Nutr, 2007, 25: pp 399-405
[18]	Randal PAE, Perez MA, Floyd S, Black GF, Crampin AC, Ngwira B, Piston WN, Mulawa D, Sinhala L, Mwaungulu L, Bickle Q, Fine PEM. Patterns of helminth infection and relationship to BCG vaccination in Karonga District, Northern Malawi, Trans R Soc Trop Med and Hyg, 2002, 6: pp 29-33
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APA Style

Tesfahun Addisu, Achenef Asmamaw. (2015). A Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Infections and Schistosomiasis mansoni among School Children in Libo-Kemkem District, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Study. American Journal of Health Research, 3(2), 57-62. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12

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Tesfahun Addisu; Achenef Asmamaw. A Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Infections and Schistosomiasis mansoni among School Children in Libo-Kemkem District, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Study. Am. J. Health Res. 2015, 3(2), 57-62. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12

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AMA Style

Tesfahun Addisu, Achenef Asmamaw. A Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Infections and Schistosomiasis mansoni among School Children in Libo-Kemkem District, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Study. Am J Health Res. 2015;3(2):57-62. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12,
  author = {Tesfahun Addisu and Achenef Asmamaw},
  title = {A Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Infections and Schistosomiasis mansoni among School Children in Libo-Kemkem District, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Study},
  journal = {American Journal of Health Research},
  volume = {3},
  number = {2},
  pages = {57-62},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajhr.20150302.12},
  abstract = {The burden of disease caused by infection with schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthes remains enormous. It is widely recognized that school children carry the heaviest burden of morbidity. Apart from the morbidity associated with acute infections, those who are chronically infected are often physically and intellectually compromised by anaemia, leading to attention deficits, learning disabilities, school absenteeism and higher dropout rates. Taking this into consideration, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, the intensity and the relative frequency of multi-parasitism of the major soil-transmitted helminthes (Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and the hookworms) and Schistosoma mansoni. A cross sectional survey was conducted from February 10, 2011 up to May 10, 2011, in three primary schools in Libo-Kemkem District, northwest Ethiopia. 365(173 males and 192 females) pupils, selected using systematic sampling using a random start, had their fecal specimens been examined using Kato-Katz cellophane fecal thick smear technique (41.7 mg template). S. mansoni was the most prevalent (15.9%) followed by A. lumbricoides (11.0%), the hookworms (8.2%) and T. trichiura (1.6%)  and the corresponding geometric mean egg counts per gram were 122, 1749, 582 and 13 respectively. Single, double and triple infections encountered were 21.1%, 4.9% and 1.9% respectively. Most of the double infections were a combination of A. lumbricoides and the hookworms (3.6%). All schools combined, the average prevalence and egg count for each helminthes were neither age nor sex related but intensity of S. mansoni by age group which was statistically significant (p<0.05). The distribution of helminthes among pupils was over dispersed: that is, while most pupils harbored few or no and a few harbored many of them. Although, as compared to the previous studies, the present study showed a lowered infection rates, the relative increase in S. mansoni prevalence signifies a need for promoting intervention measures.},
 year = {2015}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - A Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Infections and Schistosomiasis mansoni among School Children in Libo-Kemkem District, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Study
AU - Tesfahun Addisu
AU - Achenef Asmamaw
Y1 - 2015/03/02
PY - 2015
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12
DO - 10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12
T2 - American Journal of Health Research
JF - American Journal of Health Research
JO - American Journal of Health Research
SP - 57
EP - 62
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2330-8796
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12
AB - The burden of disease caused by infection with schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthes remains enormous. It is widely recognized that school children carry the heaviest burden of morbidity. Apart from the morbidity associated with acute infections, those who are chronically infected are often physically and intellectually compromised by anaemia, leading to attention deficits, learning disabilities, school absenteeism and higher dropout rates. Taking this into consideration, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, the intensity and the relative frequency of multi-parasitism of the major soil-transmitted helminthes (Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and the hookworms) and Schistosoma mansoni. A cross sectional survey was conducted from February 10, 2011 up to May 10, 2011, in three primary schools in Libo-Kemkem District, northwest Ethiopia. 365(173 males and 192 females) pupils, selected using systematic sampling using a random start, had their fecal specimens been examined using Kato-Katz cellophane fecal thick smear technique (41.7 mg template). S. mansoni was the most prevalent (15.9%) followed by A. lumbricoides (11.0%), the hookworms (8.2%) and T. trichiura (1.6%) and the corresponding geometric mean egg counts per gram were 122, 1749, 582 and 13 respectively. Single, double and triple infections encountered were 21.1%, 4.9% and 1.9% respectively. Most of the double infections were a combination of A. lumbricoides and the hookworms (3.6%). All schools combined, the average prevalence and egg count for each helminthes were neither age nor sex related but intensity of S. mansoni by age group which was statistically significant (p<0.05). The distribution of helminthes among pupils was over dispersed: that is, while most pupils harbored few or no and a few harbored many of them. Although, as compared to the previous studies, the present study showed a lowered infection rates, the relative increase in S. mansoni prevalence signifies a need for promoting intervention measures.
VL - 3
IS - 2
ER -

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Author Information

Tesfahun Addisu

Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Science, Bahir Dar Health Science College, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Achenef Asmamaw

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, PAN African University, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

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APA Style

Tesfahun Addisu, Achenef Asmamaw. (2015). A Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Infections and Schistosomiasis mansoni among School Children in Libo-Kemkem District, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Study. American Journal of Health Research, 3(2), 57-62. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12

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ACS Style

Tesfahun Addisu; Achenef Asmamaw. A Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Infections and Schistosomiasis mansoni among School Children in Libo-Kemkem District, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Study. Am. J. Health Res. 2015, 3(2), 57-62. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12

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AMA Style

Tesfahun Addisu, Achenef Asmamaw. A Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Infections and Schistosomiasis mansoni among School Children in Libo-Kemkem District, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Study. Am J Health Res. 2015;3(2):57-62. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12,
  author = {Tesfahun Addisu and Achenef Asmamaw},
  title = {A Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Infections and Schistosomiasis mansoni among School Children in Libo-Kemkem District, Northwest Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Study},
  journal = {American Journal of Health Research},
  volume = {3},
  number = {2},
  pages = {57-62},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20150302.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajhr.20150302.12},
  abstract = {The burden of disease caused by infection with schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthes remains enormous. It is widely recognized that school children carry the heaviest burden of morbidity. Apart from the morbidity associated with acute infections, those who are chronically infected are often physically and intellectually compromised by anaemia, leading to attention deficits, learning disabilities, school absenteeism and higher dropout rates. Taking this into consideration, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, the intensity and the relative frequency of multi-parasitism of the major soil-transmitted helminthes (Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and the hookworms) and Schistosoma mansoni. A cross sectional survey was conducted from February 10, 2011 up to May 10, 2011, in three primary schools in Libo-Kemkem District, northwest Ethiopia. 365(173 males and 192 females) pupils, selected using systematic sampling using a random start, had their fecal specimens been examined using Kato-Katz cellophane fecal thick smear technique (41.7 mg template). S. mansoni was the most prevalent (15.9%) followed by A. lumbricoides (11.0%), the hookworms (8.2%) and T. trichiura (1.6%)  and the corresponding geometric mean egg counts per gram were 122, 1749, 582 and 13 respectively. Single, double and triple infections encountered were 21.1%, 4.9% and 1.9% respectively. Most of the double infections were a combination of A. lumbricoides and the hookworms (3.6%). All schools combined, the average prevalence and egg count for each helminthes were neither age nor sex related but intensity of S. mansoni by age group which was statistically significant (p<0.05). The distribution of helminthes among pupils was over dispersed: that is, while most pupils harbored few or no and a few harbored many of them. Although, as compared to the previous studies, the present study showed a lowered infection rates, the relative increase in S. mansoni prevalence signifies a need for promoting intervention measures.},
 year = {2015}
}

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