Summary: | Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease affecting more than 250 million people, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. In Côte d’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 Côte d’Ivoire. From January to April 2018, a cross-sectional study was carried out including 1187 schoolchildren aged 5−14 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 Côte d’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): 25.0−634.0, <i>p</i> < 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’s behavior, thus avoiding contact with unprotected open freshwater.
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