Assessment and Analysis of Incidence of Urinary Schistosomiasis and Socio-Economic Status Among Secondary Schools Students in Kano State Metropolis

The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of urogenital schistosomiasis in relation to the socio-economic status of senior secondary school students in urban areas of Kano State. A cross-sectional research design was used. Three hundred and eight (308) students were randomly selected, of which one hundred and thirty-six (136) were male and one hundred and seventy-two (172) were female. A self-developed questionnaire and a standard urine filtration technique were used to collect data. The questionnaire was validated by experts from public health, Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital with a validity index of 0.89. Urine samples from 308 randomly selected students aged 12->20 years were collected and examined for the presence of Schistosoma haematobium egg(s) in the urine using standard filtration techniques. 126 (40.90%) students were found to be Schistosoma haematobium positive with a mean egg intensity (S.D) of 50.69 (44.57) eggs per 10 milliliter of the urine. Students infected with S. haematobium were found to be from both poor and well socio-economic background. It is recommended that government and all stake holders concern should ensure appropriate measures of preventing incidence of Schistosoma haematobium.