Prevalence of Urogenital Schistosomiasis and its Implication on Control Efforts Among School Pupils in Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Schistosomiasis causes anaemia, stunting, and cognitive impairment in children, which impairs school performance. Government coordinated school-based preventive chemotherapy with donated praziquantel has been primarily used for schistosomiasis control in Ogun State, necessitating the need to monitor treatment coverage and its effect on schistosomiasis burden. Methods: We screened 422 pupils aged 1-14 years old for Schistosoma haematobium in June 2018 using the filtration technique. KAP data and socio-demographic characteristics of participants were also recorded. Results: Out of 422 screened pupils, 59 (14%) tested positive using the filtration method. Peak prevalence (31.6%) occurred in pupils under five years. Heavy infection intensity occurred in 3.4% of the infected population. KAP studies revealed that 55% knew schistosomiasis was linked to urinating blood. Symptoms experienced main-ly were diarrhoea (44.6%), stomach ache (29.7 %), and fever (13.5 %). Pipe-borne water (48.2%), well water (28.7%), and stream water (23.1%) were the major sources of water for household chores. Investigations on excreta disposal showed that 70.3% defecated in latrines, 17.3% in the bush, and 12.4% in water closets. About 54.7% had contact with a stream, while 74.2% were dewormed in the last six months. Conclusion: Children below five years old should be included in the Ogun State’s Ministry of Health’s treatment efforts. Health education should be intensified in the study areas because the population visiting streams and openly defaecating will continue undermining the Ogun State Ministry of Health’s treatment efforts. Our study will serve as an evidence base for refining control measures and effectively utilising already scarce resources.