摘要
Despite a substantial reduction in the incidence and prevalence of parasitic diseases in the industrialized world, they continue to be an important public health problem in many developing African countries,including Nigeria. However,estimates of the prevalence of such infections among school age children,who bear the greatest health burden due to these diseases,are hard to come by.The objective of this study was therefore to determine the prevalence and type of intestinal helminth infections among primary school pupils.The study was cross-sectional in design.The participants included 266 pupils recruited from three government primary schools in the Mokola area of Ibadan,Nigeria.The pupils were interviewed and their stool samples examined for eggs of common helminths.The mean age of the pupils was 9.8±2.6 years,and 128(48.1%) were males.Nineteen pupils(7.1%) had intestinal helminth infestations.Ascaris lumbricoides was found in 17 pupils(6. 4%) and was the most prevalent helminth among the children,while Trichuris trichiura was found in only two subjects(0.8%).Previous infestations and the use of public toilets were found to be significantly associated with current infections(P【0.05).This study demonstrated that the prevalence of intestinal infections was low among the pupils studied,and that Ascaris infection was the commonest infestation.
Despite a substantial reduction in the incidence and prevalence of parasitic diseases in the industrialized world, they continue to be an important public health problem in many developing African countries,including Nigeria. However,estimates of the prevalence of such infections among school age children,who bear the greatest health burden due to these diseases,are hard to come by.The objective of this study was therefore to determine the prevalence and type of intestinal helminth infections among primary school pupils.The study was cross-sectional in design.The participants included 266 pupils recruited from three government primary schools in the Mokola area of Ibadan,Nigeria.The pupils were interviewed and their stool samples examined for eggs of common helminths.The mean age of the pupils was 9.8±2.6 years,and 128(48.1%) were males.Nineteen pupils(7.1%) had intestinal helminth infestations.Ascaris lumbricoides was found in 17 pupils(6. 4%) and was the most prevalent helminth among the children,while Trichuris trichiura was found in only two subjects(0.8%).Previous infestations and the use of public toilets were found to be significantly associated with current infections(P<0.05).This study demonstrated that the prevalence of intestinal infections was low among the pupils studied,and that Ascaris infection was the commonest infestation.
