title: Prevalence of hookworm infection: a retrospective study in Kumasi.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish the prevalence of hookworm infection among patients who reported at the parasitology laboratory of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for intestinal parasitic investigation.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study covered available data from January 2001 to December 2011. Records of patients referred to the parasitology laboratory of the hospital were manually reviewed for hookworm infection. Data on age, sex and status of hookworm infection (either present or absent) were retrieved and analyzed by using Microsoft Excel 2007 statistical package.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 47 147 patients was reported at the laboratory for intestinal parasitic investigation. Among these patients, 158 patient were positive, representing an overall prevalence of 0.3% (158/47 147). Among the positive cases, the study revealed that the proportion of individuals in age groups <1, 1 to 9, 10 to 19, 20 to 29 and 30 to 39 years were 1.3% (2), 10.8% (17), 16.5% (26), 27.2% (43) and 23.4% (37) respectively. Furthermore, people in age group 40 to 49, 50 to 59 and ≥60 years were infected in the proportion of 8.7% (14), 5.7% (9) and 7.0% (11) respectively. Among the infected patients, the number of females was 62.7% (99) while that of males was 37.3% (59). The yearly prevalence rate dropped consistently from 0.84% in 2001 to 0.11% in 2005. However it increased marginally in 2006 (0.27%) and dropped to 0.00% in 2011.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hookworm infestation was found to be generally high between April and August. However the overall prevalence was relatively low among the study population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
authors.forename: Williams
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Walana
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: Eric Nana Kofi
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Aidoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: Samuel Crowther Kofi
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Tay
keywords: Hookworm; Infection; Parasitic