Urinary Schistosomiasis Among School Children in Aramoko-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria

The prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis in school children in Aramoko-Ekiti was investigated. Terminal urine samples were collected between the 9:00-12:00 hours, into wide mouthed, sterile sampling bottles containing few drops of physiological saline (as preservative), tightly covered and transported to the laboratory for examination. The urine samples were examined to detect the presence of eggs using sedimentation technique as described by (Cheesbrough, 2002). Structured questionnaire was also administered to 2000 primary school children to obtain relevant information. Overall prevalence of 68% was observed in this study. The males were observed to have higher prevalence of 72.5% than their female counterparts who had the prevalence of 62.7%. The highest prevalence of 71.75% was found in Glory Nursery and Primary School. The age group between 6-10 years had the highest prevalence of 89.5%. Children who were exposed to river as a source of water supply had the highest prevalence of 73.3%, while those exposed to tap water where found to be free from the infection. The results showed that there is high prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis in the study area. Keywords: Schistosomiasis, Schistosoma haematobium, prevalence, endemic, sedimentation techniques, school children