A Comparative Study of Gastrointestinal Parasites among Secondary School Students in the Rural and Urban Communities of Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

Intestinal parasitic infections have always been an important public health problem in the tropics and subtropics particularly in developing countries. A comparative study involving 300 secondary school children of both sexes and ages of 10-24 years in two rural and two urban secondary schools in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State Nigeria was investigated between the months of October, 2016 through March 2017. Saline wet mount and sedimentation techniques were employed for the study. Out the 300 feacal samples examined 110(36.7%) were infected with different intestinal parasites. The parasites and their prevalence rates found were Giardia lamblia (7.3%), Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (10.9%), Ascaris lumbricoides (43.6%), Taenia spp (3.6%), Enterobius vermicularis (1.8%), Trichuris trichuira (8.7%), Hookworm (22.8%) respectively.  Ascaris lumbricoides recorded the highest prevalence 43.6% while Enterobius vermicularis had the lowest infection rate 1.8%. Junior Secondary School/Universal Basic Education Apir had the highest prevalence 46.2% and Padopas Harmony Secondary School High level had the lowest prevalence 28.6% (P<0.05). Rural secondary school children had the highest prevalence 42.1% while urban secondary school children had the lowest 30.1% (P<0.05). The prevalence of intestinal parasites in relation to sex and age showed no significant difference. However, it was observed that there was a slight decline in prevalence as the age increased. Single parasitism was 30% while poly-parasitism was 6.66 % (p>0.05). The prevalence of parasitic infection in relation to water source showed no significant difference (P>0.05) while occupation of parents showed a significant difference (P<0.01) in the parasitic infection among students. Prevalence based on mode of faecal disposal showed a significant difference (p<0.01) in the infection rate. Result showed that there was a direct correlation between students’ hygiene and parasite prevalence rates.