Persistence in Endemicity of NTDs: Case of Intestinal Parasites in the Health District of Lolodorf, South Cameroon

A study conducted on school children aged 3-15 years in the health District of Lolodorf, South region of Cameroon was aimed to be disposed with more epidemiological data on intestinal parasites. Stool samples were collected from 250 school pupils in January 2015 from four different villages and analyzed using two parasitological techniques: the quantitative Kato-Katz and the concentration formalin ether techniques. A global infection rate of 46.8% with significantly high prevalence of single infections (64.1%) compared to multiple infections (35.9%; P<0.05) was recorded. The parasites identified were the helminthes Ascaris lumbricoides (20.5%), Trichuris trichiura (31.9%) and hookworms (2.8%), and the protozoan, Entamoeba coli (11.6%). The global egg load varied from 24 to 30.000 eggs per gram of stool, 24 to 56400 eggs per gram of stool and 24 to 14520 eggs per gram of stool for Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworms respectively. Prevalence varied significantly in the different villages and age groups for A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura same as for egg load observed for T. trichiura (P<0.05). Significantly high value of ligth infection intensity was obtained for T. trichiura (P= 00.001). Infection intensities of parasitic helminthes were significantly high when in presence of another parasite (P=0.0001) for A. lumbricoides +T. trichiura and vice-versa, T. trichiura + hookworms (P<0.05). These results confirm persistence in the transmission of intestinal parasites with high risk of morbidity in infected children, since morbidity is essentially linked to egg load. Development of more adequate control strategies are thus necessary like biannual mass drug administration irrespective of age and intensive sensitization of the population on sel-preventive measures.