Current Status and Risk Factors of Intestinal Parasitic Infections among School Children in Katsina Local Government Area, Katsina State, Nigeria

A survey of the prevalence of current status and risk factors of intestinal parasitic infections among schoolchildren in Katsina local government area, Katsina state, Nigeria were carried out. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among the study children. To determine the prevalence by age and gender of the children and to assess the major risk factors for the infections among the children. The design of the study was a cross-sectional investigation involving a sample of population of 266 schoolchildren from Primary one to Primary six in Shinkafi model primary school. Structured Questionnaires were used to obtain the socio-demographic information of the children and their parents before the commencement of the survey. Stool samples were collected and analyzed using direct wet-mount technique. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was 29.3%. Ascarislumbricoides was the most prevalent parasite with a prevalence of 15.4%. The result further showed that, the males are more infected (34.4%) compared with females (24.4%). Moreover, the children age 4-9 years were significantly more infected (40.2%) compared to their elder ones aged ≥10 years (19.4%). Some of the major risk factors of infection among the children were, Age group, mothers’ educational status and playing without shoes (P