Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Clinical Laboratory, Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Pan Afr Med J. 2021 Oct 13;40:96. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2021.40.96.26708. eCollection 2021.
urogenital schistosomiasis affects school-aged children with impacts on health, growth, and cognitive development. Basic schools along active water bodies have a possibility of a high infection among the children.
we performed a school-based cross-sectional assessment of urogenital schistosomiasis among children in four selected rural communities along major rivers in the central region of Ghana. Three hundred and nine (309) basic school children class 1 to junior high school (JHS) 3 were recruited. Sociodemographic data and information on behavioral influences were collected with a structured written questionnaire. Laboratory examinations were conducted on fresh urine samples. Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations with measures of association between variables, adjusted and unadjusted logistic regression analysis were performed on measured variables.
we recorded a 10.4% prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis. Schools in communities along the Kakum river recorded the highest disease burden (65.6%). The odds of infection among pupils who engage in irrigation activities were 4 folds more than those who do not engage in irrigation activities (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) (95%CI): 4.3 (1.6-12.1), P-value=0.005). Pupils of caregivers who resort to self-medication using local herbal concoctions had 14-fold more odds of infection compared to those who visit the health facility (aOR (95%CI): 14.4 (1.4-143.1), P-value=0.006).
poor health-seeking behaviors and lack of access to health facilities influenced the disease proportion among the children in these endemic communities.
尿路血吸虫病影响学龄儿童的健康、生长和认知发育。靠近活动水体的基础学校，儿童有较高的感染可能性。
我们对加纳中部地区四条主要河流沿岸四个选定的农村社区的学龄儿童进行了基于学校的横断面尿路血吸虫病评估。共招募了 309 名基础学校 1 至初中 3 年级的儿童。通过结构化书面问卷收集社会人口统计学数据和行为影响信息。对新鲜尿液样本进行实验室检查。对测量变量进行描述性统计和交叉表以及变量之间关联的度量，对测量变量进行调整和未调整的逻辑回归分析。
我们记录了 10.4%的尿路血吸虫病患病率。沿卡卡姆河的学校记录了最高的疾病负担（65.6%）。从事灌溉活动的学生感染的几率是不从事灌溉活动的学生的 4 倍（调整后的优势比（aOR）（95%CI）：4.3（1.6-12.1），P 值=0.005）。求助于使用当地草药混合物进行自我医疗的照顾者的学生感染的几率是去医疗机构的学生的 14 倍（aOR（95%CI）：14.4（1.4-143.1），P 值=0.006）。
不良的寻医行为和缺乏获得医疗设施的机会影响了这些流行地区社区儿童的疾病比例。
