Soil-Transmitted Helminths: Prevalence and the Effect of Deworming in Children in Mutengene, South West Region, Cameroon

Abstract

Soil-transmitted helminthes (STH) (A. lumbricoides, T. trichiura and hookworms) constitute a significant public health problem globally. These infections are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas and their transmission is highly dependent on the degree to which the environment is contaminated with infectious stages and the amount of contact between human hosts and polluted soil. There are three main intervention strategies for controlling STH infections including ant-helminthic drug treatment (deworming), improved sanitation and health education. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of STH and assess the effects of de-worming among children 4 to 15 years old in Mutegene. It was a cross-sectional study, involving school children of both sexes. A systematic random sampling method was used to collect data. Basic demographic data was obtained from the class registers. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information. Stool samples were collected, transported to the laboratory for macroscopic and microscopic analysis. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21 and the Chi-square test. The result obtained showed an overall prevalence of 3.6% (n=9) with the most frequent species being Trichuris trichiura 2.4% (n=6) followed by Hookworm 0.8% (n= 2) and the least was Ascaris lumbricoides 0.4 %(n=1). On the impact of de-worming, out of the 9 infected cases, seven (7) indicated that they had not taken worm medicines (neither albendazole nor mebendazole), one (1) did not know and only one (1) infected person was among those that had been de-wormed before. This showed that the deworming process had a positive impact in eliminating helminthiasis. In conclusion, the low prevalence could be explained by the prior de-worming of children. It was recommended that continuous health education should be given through community radios and television as a means of making the people understand the mode of transmission and methods of prevention of STH infection better.