Study of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs): An Approach towards Gastro-Intestinal Helminthes among School Children in Nigeria | Chapter 5 | Recent Progress in Microbiology and Biotechnology Vol. 7

This study looked at the detection and prevalence of intestinal parasites among schoolchildren in Port Harcourt, Nigeria's capital. Stool samples were taken from 100 males (46.5 percent) and 115 females (53.5 percent). The thin and thick films of the faeces sample were examined under the microscope. Three intestinal helminthes were discovered in total. The total prevalence was 30.7 percent, with male school children (37.0 percent) outnumbering female school children (25.2 percent) in both sites. T. trichiura (39.4 percent) was the most common helminthes in this study, out of the three parasite species found. This was closely followed by A. lumbricoides (33.3%), with hook worm (27.3%) being the least common. In general, samples from Emohua State Primary School (ESPS) in Emohua (90.9%) had more intestinal helminthes than those from University Demonstration Primary School (UDPS) in Choba (9.1%). Intestinal helminthes were found to be more prevalent in children aged 10-15 years (57.6% ) than in children aged 5-9 years (42.4%) in both regions. It also revealed that A. lumbricoides (63.6 percent) was the most common worm among male schoolchildren, followed by hook worms (55.6 percent) and T. trichiura (50.0 percent). There was no evidence of multiple helminth infections in any of the three helminths studied. This study reveals that a large percentage of people are infested with parasitic protozoa and worms, highlighting the urgent need to reduce the unneeded and avoidable parasite load. [Odu NN, Okonko IO, and Erhi O. Gastro-Intestinal Helminthes in school students in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Report and Opinion, 3(9), 6-16, 2011. (ISSN: 1553-9873). http://www.sciencepub.net.

Author (S) Details

N. N. Odu
Department of Microbiology, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, P.M.B. 5323, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

I. O. Okonko
Department of Microbiology, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, P.M.B. 5323, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

O. Erhi
Department of Microbiology, Institute of Science Laboratory Technology, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, P.M.B. 5323, Port Harcourt, River State, Nigeria.

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