PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF INTESTINAL HELMINTH INFECTIONS AMONG SOME SELECTED RURAL SCHOOL CHILDREN

Intestinal helminth infections have been well-documented as a significant contributor to illness, death, and impaired cognitive development among primary school children globally. This research was conducted to assess the occurrence of intestinal helminth infections and identify the factors associated with them in three specific primary schools situated in the Ugwunagbo region of Abia State, Nigeria.

A cross sectional study involving 245 primary school children was performed from June to August, 2018. Stool samples of the children were collected in cleansed sample bottles from the parents, teachers and care-givers. The samples were taken to Zoology and Environmental Biology postgraduate laboratory for microscopic examination as fresh wet sample. Deposits from formol-ether concentration technique were used in each case and observed microscopically using x10 and x40 objective for helminth identification. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data on the demographic and risk factors associated with intestinal helminth infection. The overall prevalence of intestinal helminth infection was 85 (34.69%). Among the selected schools, Owerri Aba primary school had the highest prevalence 26 (38.24%), followed by new world kiddies 40 (33.06%). Abayi Mbato had the lowest prevalence 19 (33.93%)....