A review of soil transmitted helminthiasis in Nigeria

Soil transmitted helminthiasis (STH) are parasitic infection caused mainly by Ascaris lumbricoides (common roundworms), Trichuris trichiura (whipworms), and the hookworms Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale. Of the 1.5 billion infected, about 270 million and 600 million are preschool and school-aged children, respectively. Conditions relating to the epidemiology of STH are mostly linked to poverty as sufferers are mainly from the world’s most impoverished regions[1]. The Americas, China, East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa account for over 56% of the STH infection globally[2]. The developmental stages of the nematodes causing STH are partly in the soil and in vertebrate host(s). In worse case scenarios, STH may impact on the mental health of children as well as bring about malnutrition leading to growth retardation[3,4]. Among neglected tropical diseases, STH accounts for the highest disability adjusted life years (DALYs), which include years of life lost due to mortality (YLLs) and years lived with disability (YLDs)[5]. Despite having the highest DALYs of approximately 5.2 million in comparison to schistosomiasis (3.3 million DALYs), lymphatic filariasis (2.8 million DALYs) and onchocerciasis (0.5 million DALYs)[5], STH receives relatively less attention in aspects of monitoring and treatment[6]. In Nigeria, the need to appraise prevalence data overtime is now imperative as this would inform on the possible gains/losses that have been made. Further, the challenges of current diagnostic methods used in the country with the problem of drug resistance in achieving the elimination goal are thus highlighted.