INTESTINAL PROTOZOA AND SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI (SAMBON, 1907) INFECTIONS AMONG PUPILS OF SIX PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN AKKO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, GOMBE STATE, NIGERIA
INTESTINAL PROTOZOA AND SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI (SAMBON, 1907) INFECTIONS AMONG PUPILS OF SIX PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN AKKO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, GOMBE STATE, NIGERIA
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2015-10
Authors
MATHEW, Sale Twan
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The prevalence of intestinal protozoa and Schistosoma mansoni infections among primary school pupils in Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State, Nigeria was investigated. Stool samples were collected from 450 pupils aged 5–13 years from six (6) primary schools in the three districts of the Local Government Area. A structured questionnaire was used to collect relevant demographic and risk factor data associated with intestinal protozoa and S. mansoni infections. The stool samples were processed using the formol-ether concentration technique and microscopically examined for protozoan cysts and S. mansoni eggs; 12.4 % of the stool samples were positive for cysts and eggs. The prevalences of intestinal protozoa were: 5.1 % for Entamoeba histolytica, 4.2 % for Entamoeba coli and 2.4 % for Balantidium coli; Schistosoma mansoni eggs had a prevalence of 1.6 %. The prevalence of intestinal protozoa and Schistosoma mansoni infections with respect to gender showed no statistically significant association (P>0.05), although male pupils had higher prevalence (14.0%) than female pupils (10.4 %). There was a statistically significant association between prevalence and age groups (P<0.05); age group 8-10 years showed the highest prevalence of 16.2%; followed by age group 5-7 years (14.6 %) and 11-13 years (6.6 %). With respect to parents’occupation, the highest prevalence was observed with fishing (27.0 %), followed by farming (17.8 %), trading (14.7 %) and civil service(6.8 %). There was also a higher prevalence of 16.9 % among the public school pupils compared to the private school pupils with 8.0 %; this difference was significant (P<0.05). The prevalence of infection by protozoa and S. mansoniinfections in different districts and individual schools was not uniform despite the similarity in the local topography and weather conditions. Source of drinking water and type of toilet used were also found to be significantly associatedwith infection by intestinal protozoa and S.
vii
mansoni(P<0.05). The prevalence of intestinal protozoa and Schistosoma mansoni infections among the primary school pupils was associated with poor personal hygiene habits at home and in school, and improper disposal of human and animal waste as implied by the responses in the questionnaire. It is therefore recommended that a more concerted health education effort is necessary in order to curb the infections within the schools and the communities.
Description
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIAIN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE (M.Sc.) IN EDUCATION BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
Keywords
INTESTINAL PROTOZOA,, SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI,, INFECTIONS AMONG PUPILS,, PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN AKKO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA,, GOMBE STATE,, NIGERIA