Parasitic contamination of soil in private and public primary schools in Ifedore, Southwest, Nigeria

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: As of 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that over 267 million pre-school children and over 568 million school-aged children live in areas where soil parasites are intensively transmitted and need immediate interventions. The study investigated the soil contamination rate of parasites in selected public and private primary schools in Ifedore, Southwest Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 192 soil samples were collected between January and October 2020. Extraction and isolation of parasite larvae and ova were all carried out following standard parasitological procedures. RESULTS: Hookworm larvae (39.1%) had the highest occurrence of the total parasite stages recovered from the soil samples, followed by Ascaris ova (24.5%), Hookworm ova (17.8%), Strongyloides larvae (17.6%) and Trichuris ova (1%). Soil samples from public schools (52.9%) were more contaminated than samples collected from private schools (47.1%). CONCLUSIONS: It is evident that school-aged children in tropical region are at risk of soil-transmitted diseases. There is a need for improvements on the existing control strategies through school-based deworming programs and implementation of water, sanitation, and hygiene policies in primary schools.

Keywords

• soil-transmitted
• parasites
• school-aged
• contamination
• occurrence.