Identification of geo-helminthes associated with geophagy as well as risk factors predisposing to such infestations among primary school pupils were carried out. Ethical permissions were obtained from headteachers of schools and pupils to collect stool samples of 200 volunteer pupils, aged 5-13years (106 males and 94 females) from rural and urban primary schools in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. Stool samples were examined microscopically using wet mount (normal saline and iodine) technique. Data collected via questionnaires were analyzed to assess the relationship between geophagia, regular ingestion of soil and soil-transmitted parasites. Three intestinal parasites: Ascaris lumbricoides (A.lumbricoides), Ancylostoma duodenale (A. Duodenale) and Trichuris trichiura (T. Trichiura) were commonly observed. A total of 178 pupils (89%) found to be infected with one or more of these worms. A.lumbricoides had the highest prevalence of 52.8%, while A.duodenale and T.trichiura had 32.58% and14.61% respectively in all five villages in the Local Government Area. Infection rates and geophagic habits were established to be highest in children between the ages of 5 and 7years (p>0.05). Location and sex were observed to be insignificant factors in the distribution of these parasites (p>0.05). Geophagy and any other form of contact with the topsoil and children orally should therefore be noted as an important risk factor for orally acquired parasitic infections among children. Education on geophagy prevention should be an integral component of all soil-transmitted parasite control programs.
| Published in |
Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 3, Issue 5-1)
This article belongs to the Special Issue Who Is Afraid of the Microbes |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.sjph.s.2015030501.19 |
| Page(s) | 45-50 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Geophagy, Intestinal Helminthes, Pupils, Anambra State
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APA Style
Okereke J. N., Obasi K. O., Nwadike P. O., Ezeji E. U., Udebuani A. C. (2015). Geo-helminthes Associated with Geophagic Pupils in Selected Primary Schools in Oyi, Anambra State. Science Journal of Public Health, 3(5-1), 45-50. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.s.2015030501.19
ACS Style
Okereke J. N.; Obasi K. O.; Nwadike P. O.; Ezeji E. U.; Udebuani A. C. Geo-helminthes Associated with Geophagic Pupils in Selected Primary Schools in Oyi, Anambra State. Sci. J. Public Health 2015, 3(5-1), 45-50. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.s.2015030501.19
AMA Style
Okereke J. N., Obasi K. O., Nwadike P. O., Ezeji E. U., Udebuani A. C. Geo-helminthes Associated with Geophagic Pupils in Selected Primary Schools in Oyi, Anambra State. Sci J Public Health. 2015;3(5-1):45-50. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.s.2015030501.19
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Download@article{10.11648/j.sjph.s.2015030501.19,
author = {Okereke J. N. and Obasi K. O. and Nwadike P. O. and Ezeji E. U. and Udebuani A. C.},
title = {Geo-helminthes Associated with Geophagic Pupils in Selected Primary Schools in Oyi, Anambra State},
journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
volume = {3},
number = {5-1},
pages = {45-50},
doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.s.2015030501.19},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.s.2015030501.19},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.s.2015030501.19},
abstract = {Identification of geo-helminthes associated with geophagy as well as risk factors predisposing to such infestations among primary school pupils were carried out. Ethical permissions were obtained from headteachers of schools and pupils to collect stool samples of 200 volunteer pupils, aged 5-13years (106 males and 94 females) from rural and urban primary schools in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. Stool samples were examined microscopically using wet mount (normal saline and iodine) technique. Data collected via questionnaires were analyzed to assess the relationship between geophagia, regular ingestion of soil and soil-transmitted parasites. Three intestinal parasites: Ascaris lumbricoides (A.lumbricoides), Ancylostoma duodenale (A. Duodenale) and Trichuris trichiura (T. Trichiura) were commonly observed. A total of 178 pupils (89%) found to be infected with one or more of these worms. A.lumbricoides had the highest prevalence of 52.8%, while A.duodenale and T.trichiura had 32.58% and14.61% respectively in all five villages in the Local Government Area. Infection rates and geophagic habits were established to be highest in children between the ages of 5 and 7years (p>0.05). Location and sex were observed to be insignificant factors in the distribution of these parasites (p>0.05). Geophagy and any other form of contact with the topsoil and children orally should therefore be noted as an important risk factor for orally acquired parasitic infections among children. Education on geophagy prevention should be an integral component of all soil-transmitted parasite control programs.},
year = {2015}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Geo-helminthes Associated with Geophagic Pupils in Selected Primary Schools in Oyi, Anambra State AU - Okereke J. N. AU - Obasi K. O. AU - Nwadike P. O. AU - Ezeji E. U. AU - Udebuani A. C. Y1 - 2015/11/10 PY - 2015 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.s.2015030501.19 DO - 10.11648/j.sjph.s.2015030501.19 T2 - Science Journal of Public Health JF - Science Journal of Public Health JO - Science Journal of Public Health SP - 45 EP - 50 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2328-7950 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.s.2015030501.19 AB - Identification of geo-helminthes associated with geophagy as well as risk factors predisposing to such infestations among primary school pupils were carried out. Ethical permissions were obtained from headteachers of schools and pupils to collect stool samples of 200 volunteer pupils, aged 5-13years (106 males and 94 females) from rural and urban primary schools in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. Stool samples were examined microscopically using wet mount (normal saline and iodine) technique. Data collected via questionnaires were analyzed to assess the relationship between geophagia, regular ingestion of soil and soil-transmitted parasites. Three intestinal parasites: Ascaris lumbricoides (A.lumbricoides), Ancylostoma duodenale (A. Duodenale) and Trichuris trichiura (T. Trichiura) were commonly observed. A total of 178 pupils (89%) found to be infected with one or more of these worms. A.lumbricoides had the highest prevalence of 52.8%, while A.duodenale and T.trichiura had 32.58% and14.61% respectively in all five villages in the Local Government Area. Infection rates and geophagic habits were established to be highest in children between the ages of 5 and 7years (p>0.05). Location and sex were observed to be insignificant factors in the distribution of these parasites (p>0.05). Geophagy and any other form of contact with the topsoil and children orally should therefore be noted as an important risk factor for orally acquired parasitic infections among children. Education on geophagy prevention should be an integral component of all soil-transmitted parasite control programs. VL - 3 IS - 5-1 ER -
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