Prevalence and Distribution of Schistosoma haematobium Infection among Residents of Aye-Oba and Aye-Amodo Rural Communities of Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Urinary schistosomiasis, caused by Schistosoma haematobium, is an insidious disease of public health concern worldwide, particularly in African countries where Nigeria carries the highest burden of infection. Hence, this study was carried out to determine the prevalence and distribution of Schistosoma haematobium infection among residents of Aye-Oba and Aye-Amodo rural communities of Osun State, Nigeria, using appropriate standard parasitological methods including a total of 427 volunteer individuals. The result showed that out the total 427 participants, 139 (32.6%) had urinary schistosomiasis though no significant difference (p>0.05). Males significantly had higher prevalence of 38.8% compared to females with 25.6% (p<0.05). The age pattern of infection revealed that the highest prevalence of infection (53.1%) was observed among age group 11-20 years while no prevalence was observed among age group 51-60 years. The findings of this study showed that urinary schistosomiasis is prevalent in the two communities, and as such concerted efforts are needed to curb the menace of this neglected tropical disease.