作者
Great Iruoghene Edo, Priscillia Nkem Onyibe, Laurine Chikodiri Nwosu, Erkay Ozgor
简介
In developing tropical and subtropical nations, hookworm is the main cause of maternal and childhood illness. In vulnerable children, it causes cognitive and growth retardation, intrauterine growth delay, prematurity and low birth weight among new-borns born to infected mothers. The research aimed to determine the prevalence and intensity of hookworm infestations, among primary school children in three selected schools in the study area. This study utilized a cross-sectional research approach. Stool specimens were collected and analyzed for intestinal parasites from children in classes 1-6. In this study, a total of sixty (60) school going children aged 5-15 years were recruited from three (3) primary schools randomly selected within Moriba town section, Bo city, southern Sierra Leone. The research findings revealed that, the prevalence of hookworm infestation was 38.6% in the study area, the results also showed that there was no significant relationship between sex of the children and hookworm infection, it was found that females were at higher risk of infection than males. There was a significant relationship between household availability of toilet and hookworm infestation among the children. A significant association with the hookworm infection was shown in the defecation facility type. Hookworm infections are extremely frequent in Sierra Leone among school children and are a major cause of disease. Poor personal and environmental hygiene, poverty and favourable climate are important variables for the sustainability of transmission, but no policy-driven effort to prevent it has been made.