Geohelminth Infections Among School Children in Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area, Plateau State

Abstract Parasitic infections are crucial public health challenges that are known to affect the wellbeing of primary school children in developing countries such as Nigeria. This study was carried out to assess the current prevalence of geohelminth infections among primary school children in Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area. The study was carried out in five districts and a total of 806 children were randomly selected. Stool samples were collected from each pupil to screen for parasites. Percentages were used to obtain prevalence while chi-square test was used to determine significant difference among variables. Formol-ether concentration technique was used to prepare samples for parasitological examination. The overall prevalence of geohelminth infections was 16.38%. Hookworm, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura had prevalence of 12.53%, 2.23% and 1.61% respectively. Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area is endemic for geohelminth infections and the prevalence of geohelminthiasis was not associated with sex, age group, location and school type.