Jornal de Doenças Infecciosas e Medicina Preventiva
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Intestinal and Malaria Parasitic Infections among School-Aged Children in Selected Rural Communities in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Eke Samuel Sunday, Mumuney Kafilat Temitope, Michael Nancy Erika, Shehu Amina Bature, Onojafe Joseph, Nnaji Christiancia Ifeyinwa, Ismaila Rukayyat Onize

Children in impoverished areas, particularly Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa, are frequently infected with polyparasitic organisms. The study took place in five different communities in Nasarawa's Karu Local Government Area. Fresh stool and blood tests revealed intestinal parasites and malaria infection. Using a standardized questionnaire, mothers, guardians, and caregivers were questioned to obtain demographic information about their children or wards, as well as to document their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding parasite infections. Data from the survey and parasitological research were imported into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and evaluated using Chi-squared analysis. A total of 496 (100%) school pupils were recruited for the study and provided feces and blood samples to meet the requirements. The presence of different parasites was found in 317 (63.91%) of the 496 specimens collected and examined. Malaria was the most frequent parasitic infection in the villages, accounting for 80 percent of all infections (25.34%). According to the findings, there was no statistically significant difference in malaria parasite infection between the communities (p>0.05). Intestinal parasite infections discovered throughout the study included Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Hookworm spp., Taenia spp., Giardia lamblia, and Strongyloides stercoralis. Intestinal parasite infections were more common in hookworm sp (51%) than in other species (16.09%). The difference between malaria parasite infections and intestinal parasitic infections was statistically significant (p<0.05). Males had 56.25% more malaria parasites than their female counterparts (33.75%). Furthermore, males had 194 (61.20%) more intestinal parasitic infections than females, 123 (38.30%). Chi-square analysis found a significant difference (p<0.05) between malaria parasite infections and intestinal parasitic illnesses in relation to the gender of the children. With 53 (53.17%), Malaria parasites and Ascaris lumbricoides had the most double parasitic infections, whereas A. lumbricoides, Taenia spp., and Trichuris trichiura had the most triple parasitic infections with 38 (9.78%). Polyparasitism was found to be more frequent in youngsters aged 10 to 12 (106, 33.44%). There were statistically significant differences (p>0.05) across communities and age groups in polyparasitic infections. According to the current study, the burden of intestinal and malaria parasite illnesses among primary school children is quite high, indicating that more research is needed.