title: Prevalence and clinical aspects of tungiasis in south-west Nigerian schoolchildren.
abstract: Tungiasis is highly prevalent in resource-poor communities in sub-Saharan Africa, but studies among schoolchildren are scanty. We assessed prevalence, parasite load and clinical aspects of tungiasis in schoolchildren in south-western Nigeria. A total of 545 schoolchildren was examined. Of these, 133 (24.4%; 95% CI, 20.9-28.2%) were infested with Tunga penetrans Boys showed a higher prevalence than girls (31% versus 18%, P < 0.0001); in those infested, the median number of lesions was two, with no gender difference (2 boys, interquartile range, 1-4; 2 girls; interquartile range, 1-4; P = 0.34). The maximum number of 44 lesions was found in a 14-year-old boy. Desquamation was present in 90.2%, followed by erythema (54.9%) and oedema (43.6%); 54.9% showed any chronic pathology and more one-third nail deformations. Our study indicates that tungiasis is an important health problem in rural Nigerian schoolchildren. Sustainable interventions are required to control the disease in this and similar communities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Uade S
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Ugbomoiko
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil.
authors.forename: Liana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ariza
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Abdulkareem O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Babamale
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil heukelbach@web.de.|Anton Breinl Centre for Public Health and College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, Division of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia.
authors.forename: Jorg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heukelbach
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D058253:Tunga; D058285:Tungiasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control
keywords: Nigeria; Tungiasis; epidemiology; morbidity; schoolchildren