Current Appraisal of Socio-Economic Factors Associated with Intestinal Helminth Infections in South-Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the current status of intestinal helminth infections and the associations between selected socio-economic variables and helminthosis among school children less than twenty years old in five rural communities in Southeastern, Nigeria. A total of 3000 school children randomly selected from the study communities were enrolled for the study. Data collection involved the use of Kato Katz for microscopic examination of stool samples, semi-structured questionnaires and focal group discussion (FGDs). T-test was used to to determine the association of socoi-economic variables and intestinal helminthosis.The overall prevalence of intestinal helminth infections was 60.4%. The intestinal helminthes isolated included hookworm (29.1%), Ascaris lumbricoides (22.1%), Trichuris trichiura (4.6%), Strongyloides stercoralis (2.4%), Taenia spp (1.1%) and Diphyllobothrium latum (1.1%). Hookworm (29.1%) was the most predominant helminth. Males were more infected (61.1%) than females (59.6%).  Individuals aged 3-5 years old had the highest prevalence (75.4%) of intestinal helminth infections. Factors that were significantly associated with the risk of acquisition of the infections included age of the school children, type of toilet facility, source of water, level of education, occupation, housecrowding, hygiene habits. Conscientious personal cleanliness, proper sanitation and controlled good water supplies would be useful for effective control.