Prevalence, Intensity, and Correlates of Schistosomiasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections after Five Rounds of Preventive Chemotherapy among School Children in Southern Ethiopia
Tigist Dires Gebreyesus,
Tafesse Tadele,
Kalkidan Mekete,
Abbie Barry,
Habtamu Gashaw,
Workagegnehu Degefe,
Birkneh Tilahun Tadesse,
Heran Gerba,
Parthasarathi Gurumurthy,
Eyasu Makonnen,
Eleni Aklillu
Affiliations
Tigist Dires Gebreyesus
Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge,14186 Stockholm, Sweden
Tafesse Tadele
College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa P.O. Box 1560, Ethiopia
Kalkidan Mekete
Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1242, Ethiopia
Abbie Barry
Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge,14186 Stockholm, Sweden
Habtamu Gashaw
Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 5681, Ethiopia
Workagegnehu Degefe
Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 5681, Ethiopia
Birkneh Tilahun Tadesse
Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge,14186 Stockholm, Sweden
Heran Gerba
Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 5681, Ethiopia
Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 9086, Ethiopia
Eleni Aklillu
Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge,14186 Stockholm, Sweden
Preventive chemotherapy (PC) is a WHO-recommended strategy to control and eliminate schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). We assessed the prevalence, intensity, and correlates of schistosomiasis and STH infection after five rounds of PC in southern Ethiopia. A total of 3162 school children from four schools in Wondo Gennet and Hawella Tula districts were screened for Schistosoma mansoni and STHs infection. The overall prevalence of S. mansoni infection was 25.8% (range between schools 11.6% to 54.1%), with light (19.1%), moderate (5.3%), and heavy (1.4%) infection intensities. A total of 61.6% S. mansoni-infected children were STH co-infected. The overall prevalence of STHs infection was 54.7% (range between schools 30.6–71.0%), with moderate-to-heavy intensity infections being 16.3%. Ascaris lumbricoides was the most prevalent 45% (95% CI, 43.5–47) followed by Trichuris trichiura 25.3% (95% CI, 23.8–26.9) and hookworm 6.1% (95% CI, 5.3–7). A total of 33.7% of STHs-infected children had A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura co-infections. S. mansoni infection was significantly associated with school and STHs co-infection (p p S. mansoni and STH infection remain significant health problems, and the WHO target to control schistosomiasis and eliminate STH by 2020 may not be achieved. Intensified control and prevention measures, including drug efficacy surveillance, is recommended.
