Intestinal Nematode Infection among School Children in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among school children in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria, the study was prospective and cross sectional. 1,200 children were randomly selected for the study from various primary and junior secondary schools in the Local Government Area. Detection and identification were by direct microscopy. Chi-square was used to determine if there was any relationship between age, sex and socio-economic status of parents on occurrence of isolates. Of the 1,200 pupils examined, 800 (66.7%) were infected. Three parasite species observed were Ascaris lumbricodes (45%), Trichuris trichiura (35%) and Hookworm species (20%). A significant association was observed between worm infectivity and age, sex and socio-economic status in the population studied. This study showed a high prevalence of helminthes infection in the area. Control measures which would effectively control the spread of the infection were suggested.

Keywords: intestinal, nematode, parasitic, infection, prevalence

Nigerian Journal of Parasitology, Vol. 32 [2] September 2011, pp. 203-207