A STUDY ON THE INTESTINAL WORM INFECTION IN CENTRAL URBAN COMMUNITY, KANO STATE NIGERIA | Journal..

Background: Intestinal parasite infections are common in impoverished nations, especially in the tropics, and they can cause major medical and public-health issues. Over two billion individuals are afflicted with one or more forms of soil-transmitted intestinal parasites, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Parasites from the phylums of nematodes (round worms) and platyhelminthes (flat worms) infect humans. Identifying the most vulnerable individuals and implementing a focused intervention will result in a cost-effective and simple-to-implement control programme. As a result, we want to know how common intestinal parasites are and how they affect different populations in the city.

The poll was conducted in a cross-sectional manner. Multistage stratified random sampling was used to find participants. Between February and September 2020, 149 children were randomly selected from Gwale and Dala Local Government Areas in Kano State, Nigeria, and information was collected using a questionnaire and a freshly passed faeces sample was collected and analysed from each participant. These individuals had faeces samples taken from them. Direct saline and iodine preparations, as well as sedimentation method preparations, were investigated. The severity of worm infestation was determined using the Kato-katz technique.

As a result, 96 students (64.43 percent) were afflicted. Intestinal parasites discovered in the research population included Ascaris lumbricoides, hook worm, Schistosoma mansoni, Hymenolepis nana, and Trichuria trichiura. Thirty-six percent (36%) of the infected children tested positive for A. lumbricoides, twenty-one percent (25%) for E. histolytica, fourteen percent (18%) for Schistosoma mansoni, twelve percent (13%) for Hymenolepis nana, and eight percent (8%). The prevalence of intestinal parasites is highest in the age groups of 5-7 years, with 19.79 percent, and lowest in the age groups of 20-22 years, with 7.29 percent. Overall, 40.62 percent of males and 59.38 percent of females were infected, implying that infection rates were greater in females but not statistically significant (P>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in infection rates between the study locations (P>0.05).

Conclusion Intestinal parasite infection is still a major problem among children in Nigeria's urban areas, with children bearing the brunt of the load. We advocate incorporating and providing free antihelminthics to all youngsters, as well as addressing the society's key risk factors.

Please see the link :- https://www.ikprress.org/index.php/JOGAE/article/view/7337