The parasitic diseases of school children in Lagos State, Nigeria

A survey of 5,595 primary school children in Lagos State showed that most of the children were over-loaded with parasitic infestations which included malaria (37.7%), schistosomiasis (13.4%). ascariasis (74.2%), trichuriasis (75.8%), hookworm (29.5%) and tungiasis (49.5%). Multiple infections were observed with about 16.2% harbouring all the causative organisms of the parasitic diseases enumerated above. The high prevalence of parasitic infestations among these children is an index of the community's low level of health and also of inadequate health education, because most of these diseases are preventable if the people are told what to do.