Parasitic intestinal infections of Children in Lagos

Abstract

Summary: Microscopic examination of stool samples from 1,659 children, aged 15 years and below in metropolitan Lagos showed that 71.9% were infected with Trichuris trichiura, 68.3% were infected with Ascaris lumbricoides while the infection rate with hookworm was 22.5%. Among the protozoa, the highest prevalent rate was recorded for Entamoeba coli with 20.0% followed by lodamoeba butschilii in which the frequency of infection was 8.9% while 8.3% were infected with Entamoeba histolytica. Infection with more than one parasite was also very common. Those children whose households had no toilet facilities had the lowest frequency of infection with all the intestinal parasites surveyed, while those who used buckets as their means of faecal disposal had the highest rates.