title: Assessing the prevalence of urogenital schistosomaisis and transmission risk factors amongst school-aged children around Mapé dam ecological suburbs in Malantouen district, Cameroon.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Urogenital schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection of public health importance that affects over 112 million people worldwide. The study aimed at assessing the urogenital schistosomiasis prevalence and risk factors of transmission around Mape dam suburds in Malantouen district, West, Cameroon.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted using semi-structured pretested questionnaires to collect socio-demographic and ecological data. Urine samples were also collected and used to confirm the prevalence of schistosomiasis in consented school-aged children in four primary schools between March - July 2014. Snails' samples around the dam surburbs were also collected for taxonomy characterization and species identification. Data were compiled and quality control assessed and analysed using SPSS version 17 and Epiinfo data 3.1. P < 0.05 was considered statistical significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Questionnaires were administered to 229 pupils, with gender ratio of 1.04 (m/f). The prevalence of schistosomiasis haematobium was 16.6%. Mambonko school site, which is the closest to the dam suburbs, registered the greatest prevalence rate of 40%. The age group beween 10-13 years was the most infected (18.3%) and boys were more infested than girls (21.0% vs. 15.5%). Haematuria, urination pain, school absentiesm and poor performance were the major recorded complications in 39.5 and 26.3% males to female respectively. Infection rate gender disparity documented is still poorly understood and Bulinus truncatus collected from Mambonko suburb as potential snail intermediate host requires further studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Authors advocated that schools and dam suburds sustained and innovative community-based surveillance and response targeted interventions implementation are needed to inform and support decision-making policy, but also in improving effective contextual behavioural communication changes and MDA improved uptake measures on national schistosomiasis control and elimination in Cameroon.
authors.affiliation: Department Biochemistry, Higher Institute of Health Sciences, Université des Montagnes, Bangangté, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Adeline P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Mewabo
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherches Médicales et d'Etudes des Plantes Médicinale-Centre de Recherches Médicales (IMPM-CRM), Yaoundé, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Roger S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Moyou
authors.affiliation: Department Biochemistry, Higher Institute of Health Sciences, Université des Montagnes, Bangangté, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Lysette E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Kouemeni
authors.affiliation: Department Biochemistry, Higher Institute of Health Sciences, Université des Montagnes, Bangangté, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Jeanne Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ngogang
authors.affiliation: Department Biochemistry, Higher Institute of Health Sciences, Université des Montagnes, Bangangté, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Lazare
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kaptue
authors.affiliation: Department Biochemistry, Higher Institute of Health Sciences, Université des Montagnes, Bangangté, Cameroon. tambo0711@gmail.com.|Africa Disease Intelligence and Surveillance, Communication and Response (Africa DISCoR) Institute, Yaoundé, Cameroon. tambo0711@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ernest
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tambo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D002163:Cameroon / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012548:Schistosoma haematobium / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012553:Schistosomiasis haematobia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D012908:Snails / Q000469:parasitology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014556:Urine / Q000469:parasitology*
keywords: Mapé dam; Prevalence; Pupils; Risk factors; Schistosoma haematobium; Urogenital schistosomiasis