Prevalence of Schistosomiasis Among Apparently Healthy School Age Children in Adamawa State, Nigeria

Schistosomiasis constitutes a major public health challenge in Nigeria. This study investigates the prevalence of schistosomiasis among pupils/students in Adamawa state, Nigeria. A cross sectional survey of 1500 students was conducted in primary and secondary schools from 15 out of 21 local government areas (LGAs) of Adamawa State. Stool and urine samples were collected from 100 pupils/students in each of the 15 LGAs surveyed. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistic. The results showed that the prevalence of schistosomiasis among pupils/students was (5.9 %). The prevalence was highest (7%) in Numan LGA and lowest in Song LGA (2%). The prevalence among male (22.6%) was higher than female (20.5%). The age category of 05-110 years had the highest prevalence (18.6%) while category 16-20 years had the lowest prevalence (3.1%). The result showed that there was no significant difference in the prevalence of schistosomiasis among male and female pupils/students (P=0.04). Urogenital schistosomiasis was higher (9.6%) than gastrointestinal schistosomiasis (2.2%), In addition, Southern parts of the state recorded higher infected rate with schistosomiasis than Northern and Central parts. Findings from this study revealed that schistosomiasis is a major health issue among school children in Adamawa state. Thus the need for intervention measures by government and other stakeholders in the health sector to reduce the prevalence of schistosomiasis among school age children in Adamawa state.