Prevalence and Risk Factors for Schistosomiasis among Schoolchildren in two Settings of Côte d’Ivoire

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease affecting more than 250 million people, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. In C&#244;te d&#8217;Ivoire both <i>Schistosoma haematobium</i> (causing urogenital schistosomiasis) and <i>Schistosoma mansoni</i> (causing intestinal schi...

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Main Authors: Etienne K. Angora, Jérôme Boissier, Hervé Menan, Olivier Rey, Karim Tuo, Andre O. Touré, Jean T. Coulibaly, Aboulaye Méité, Giovanna Raso, Eliézer K. N’Goran, Jürg Utzinger, Oliver Balmer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-07-01
Series:Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/4/3/110
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Summary:Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease affecting more than 250 million people, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. In C&#244;te d&#8217;Ivoire both <i>Schistosoma haematobium</i> (causing urogenital schistosomiasis) and <i>Schistosoma mansoni</i> (causing intestinal schistosomiasis) co-exist. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of <i>S. haematobium</i> and <i>S. mansoni</i> and to identify risk factors among schoolchildren in the western and southern parts of C&#244;te d&#8217;Ivoire. From January to April 2018, a cross-sectional study was carried out including 1187 schoolchildren aged 5&#8722;14 years. Urine samples were examined by a filtration method to identify and count <i>S. haematobium</i> eggs, while stool samples were subjected to duplicate Kato-Katz thick smears to quantify eggs of <i>S.</i> <i>mansoni</i> and soil-transmitted helminths. Data on sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors were obtained using a pretested questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to test for associations between variables. We found a prevalence of <i>S. haematobium</i> of 14.0% (166 of 1187 schoolchildren infected) and a prevalence of <i>S. mansoni</i> of 6.1% (66 of 1089 schoolchildren infected). In the southern part of C&#244;te d&#8217;Ivoire, the prevalence of <i>S. haematobium</i> was 16.1% with a particularly high prevalence observed in Sikensi (35.6%), while <i>S. mansoni</i> was most prevalent in Agboville (11.2%). Swimming in open freshwater bodies was the main risk factor for <i>S. haematobium</i> infection (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 127.0, 95% confidence interval (CI): 25.0&#8722;634.0, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Fishing and washing clothes in open freshwater bodies were positively associated with <i>S. haematobium</i> and <i>S. mansoni</i> infection, respectively. Preventive chemotherapy using praziquantel should be combined with setting-specific information, education, and communication strategies in order to change children&#8217;s behavior, thus avoiding contact with unprotected open freshwater.
ISSN:2414-6366