title: Urinary schistosomiasis and malaria associated anemia in Ethiopia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence of anemia in children with urinary schistosomiasis, malaria and concurrent infections by the two diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Urine and blood samples were collected from 387 children (216 males and 171 females) to examine urinary schistosomiasis and malaria and to determine hemoglobin concentration at Hassoba and Hassoba Buri village in Amibara woreda, Afar region, Ethiopia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis and Plasmodium falciparum malaria was 24.54% and 6.20% respectively. Only 2.84% of children carried concurrent infections of both parasites. There was high percentage of anemic patients (81.81%) in the coinfected cases than in either malaria (33.3%) or schistosomiasis (38.94%) cases. There was significantly low mean hemoglobin concentration in concurrently infected children than non-infected and single infected (P<0.05). The mean hemoglobin concentration between Plasmodium falciparum and S. haematobium infected children showed no significant difference (P>0.05). The level of hemoglobin was negatively correlated with the number of S. haematobium eggs/10 mL urine (r=-0.6) and malaria parasitemia (r=-0.53).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study showed that anemia is higher in concurrently infected children than non-infected and single infected. Furthermore, level of hemoglobin was negatively correlated with the number of S. haematobium eggs and malaria parsitemia. Therefore, examination of hemoglobin status in patients co-infected with malaria and schistosomiasis is important to reduce the risk of anemia and to improve health of the community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Bonga Teacher Education College, P.O. Box 91, Bonga, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Ketema
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deribew
authors.forename: Zinaye
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tekeste
authors.forename: Beyene
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Petros
authors.forename: Lim Boon
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Huat
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000740:Anemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005002:Ethiopia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012553:Schistosomiasis haematobia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis
keywords: Anemia; Ethiopia; Malaria; Plasmodium falciparum; Urinary schistosomiasis