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A Study to Determine the Prevalence and Risk Factors of Schistosomiasis Amongst School-Aged Children in Low- and Middle-Income Communities: Ehlanzeni District Municipality, South Africa
Njikho, S.L.; Quan, V.C.; Mbonane, T.P.; Van Wyk, R.H. Evaluating the Prevalence and Risk Factors of Schistosomiasis Amongst School-Aged Children in Low- and Middle-Income Communities: Ehlanzeni District Municipality, South Africa, 2015–2021. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis.2023, 8, 522.
Njikho, S.L.; Quan, V.C.; Mbonane, T.P.; Van Wyk, R.H. Evaluating the Prevalence and Risk Factors of Schistosomiasis Amongst School-Aged Children in Low- and Middle-Income Communities: Ehlanzeni District Municipality, South Africa, 2015–2021. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8, 522.
Njikho, S.L.; Quan, V.C.; Mbonane, T.P.; Van Wyk, R.H. Evaluating the Prevalence and Risk Factors of Schistosomiasis Amongst School-Aged Children in Low- and Middle-Income Communities: Ehlanzeni District Municipality, South Africa, 2015–2021. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis.2023, 8, 522.
Njikho, S.L.; Quan, V.C.; Mbonane, T.P.; Van Wyk, R.H. Evaluating the Prevalence and Risk Factors of Schistosomiasis Amongst School-Aged Children in Low- and Middle-Income Communities: Ehlanzeni District Municipality, South Africa, 2015–2021. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8, 522.
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the prevalence and identify risk factors for schistosomiasis among school-aged children in low- and middle-income communities. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted, involving the examination of 24 034 children for Schistosoma haematobium ova. Data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. Logistic regression was employed to determine the factors associated with schistosomiasis. The overall prevalence of schistosomiasis in the study population was 75%, with higher rates observed in rural-dominated areas, particularly Bushbuckridge (73%) and Nkomazi (51%). Age, a history of bilharzia, and the presence of blood in urine were significantly associated with schistosomiasis, while being a female child was found to be a protective factor. This study underscores the importance of implementing robust screening procedures and the necessity for health education to mitigate the high prevalence of schistosomiasis and prevent its further spread.
Keywords
schistosomiasis; prevalence; district municipality; disease; risk factors; low- and middle-income community; environmental factors
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
