Prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis and intestinal helminthiasis in schoolchildren in the Sahel, Hauts-Bassins and Centre-East regions of Burkina Faso

Abstract

Objective: Schistosomiasis and intestinal helminthiasis remain health problems in certain regions of Burkina Faso. The objective of this study is to determine the epidemiological situation of schistosomiasis and intestinal helminthiases in school-aged children in 14 villages located in the regions of Sahel, Hauts-Bassins and Centre-Est.
Methodology: A parasitological survey was conducted among school-aged children living in 14 villages in Burkina Faso. The urine filtration method was used to detect the eggs of S. haematobium and the Kato-Katz method was used to determine the presence of eggs of S. mansoni, Ankylostoma sp. and H. nana in the stools.
Results: A total of 1511 children aged between 7 and 15 years participated in the study. The prevalence were 2% for S. mansoni, 1.9% for S. haematobium, 1.7% for H. nana and 0.2% for Ankylostoma sp. According to the village, the prevalence ranged from 0% to 26.8% for S. mansoni (p<0.0001), 0% to 14.8% for S. haematobium (p<0.0001); and 0% to 4.6% for H. nana (p=0.002). The arithmetic mean of S. haematobium eggs was 2.5 eggs/10ml urine and 5 eggs per gram of stool (epg) for S. mansoni.
Conclusion: This study showed that the prevalence and intensities of intestinal helminthiases and urinary schistosomiasis are low among school-aged children in the 14 villages.