Schistosomiasis haematobium prevalence and risk factors in a school-age population of peri-urban Lusaka, Zambia.
Given association of the parasite Schistosoma haematobium with coastal and rural/agricultural populations, there is little documentation to date of infection patterns in today's rapidly urbanizing non-coastal regions. We conducted an observational study of 5-17-year-old school children (N = 1583) in peri-urban compounds of Lusaka, Zambia. Demographic information, medical history, physical examination findings and urinalysis results were recorded. Prevalence of schistosomiasis in the population was 20.72%. Significant risk factors for infection were male gender [odds ratio (OR) 2.42], age of 9-12 years or 13-17 years (OR 3.33 and 3.26, respectively, compared with 5-8-year-olds) and single and/or double orphan status (OR 1.43). Clinical officers detected schistosomiasis with a sensitivity of 24.70% and a specificity of 98.17% after history and physical examination. These results reveal that peri-urban populations have a significant but under-recognized vulnerability to infection, and suggest that only history and physical examination are inadequate for identifying a treatment population.
Agnew-Blais
Jessica
J
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Carnevale
Julia
J
Gropper
Adrienne
A
Shilika
Edgar
E
Bail
Richard
R
Ngoma
Mary
M
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012548:Schistosoma haematobium / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000469:parasitology; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000469:parasitology; D012553:Schistosomiasis haematobia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012574:Schools; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population; D014556:Urine / Q000469:parasitology; D015024:Zambia / Q000453:epidemiology