TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessment of urogenital schistosomiasis among basic school children in selected communities along major rivers in the central region of ghana
AU - Duah, Evans
AU - Kenu, Ernest
AU - Adela, Edward Morkporkpor
AU - Halm, Hilda Adjoa
AU - Agoni, Clement
AU - Kumi, Ransford Oduro
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Evans Duah et al.
PY - 2021/9/1
Y1 - 2021/9/1
N2 - Introduction: urogenital schistosomiasis affects school-aged children with impacts on health, growth, and cognitive development. Basic schools along active water bodies have a possibility of a high infection among the children. Methods: we performed a school-based cross-sectional assessment of urogenital schistosomiasis among children in four selected rural communities along major rivers in the central region of Ghana. Three hundred and nine (309) basic school children class 1 to junior high school (JHS) 3 were recruited. Sociodemographic data and information on behavioral influences were collected with a structured written questionnaire. Laboratory examinations were conducted on fresh urine samples. Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations with measures of association between variables, adjusted and unadjusted logistic regression analysis were performed on measured variables. Results: we recorded a 10.4% prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis. Schools in communities along the Kakum river recorded the highest disease burden (65.6%). The odds of infection among pupils who engage in irrigation activities were 4 folds more than those who do not engage in irrigation activities (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) (95%CI): 4.3 (1.6-12.1), P-value=0.005). Pupils of caregivers who resort to self-medication using local herbal concoctions had 14-fold more odds of infection compared to those who visit the health facility (aOR (95%CI): 14.4 (1.4-143.1), P-value=0.006). Conclusion: poor health-seeking behaviors and lack of access to health facilities influenced the disease proportion among the children in these endemic communities.
AB - Introduction: urogenital schistosomiasis affects school-aged children with impacts on health, growth, and cognitive development. Basic schools along active water bodies have a possibility of a high infection among the children. Methods: we performed a school-based cross-sectional assessment of urogenital schistosomiasis among children in four selected rural communities along major rivers in the central region of Ghana. Three hundred and nine (309) basic school children class 1 to junior high school (JHS) 3 were recruited. Sociodemographic data and information on behavioral influences were collected with a structured written questionnaire. Laboratory examinations were conducted on fresh urine samples. Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations with measures of association between variables, adjusted and unadjusted logistic regression analysis were performed on measured variables. Results: we recorded a 10.4% prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis. Schools in communities along the Kakum river recorded the highest disease burden (65.6%). The odds of infection among pupils who engage in irrigation activities were 4 folds more than those who do not engage in irrigation activities (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) (95%CI): 4.3 (1.6-12.1), P-value=0.005). Pupils of caregivers who resort to self-medication using local herbal concoctions had 14-fold more odds of infection compared to those who visit the health facility (aOR (95%CI): 14.4 (1.4-143.1), P-value=0.006). Conclusion: poor health-seeking behaviors and lack of access to health facilities influenced the disease proportion among the children in these endemic communities.
KW - Ghana
KW - Rivers
KW - Schistosoma haematobium
KW - School-age children
KW - Urogenital schistosomiasis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85119589302&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.11604/pamj.2021.40.96.26708
DO - 10.11604/pamj.2021.40.96.26708
M3 - Article
C2 - 34909084
AN - SCOPUS:85119589302
SN - 1937-8688
VL - 40
JO - Pan African Medical Journal
JF - Pan African Medical Journal
M1 - 96
ER -