Schistosomiasis in Ipogun: Update Assessment on Endemicity and Efficacy of Praziquantel in Chemotherapy

Aims: To assess the present endemicity of urinary schistosomiasis among school aged pupils in Ipogun, a notable endemic village in Ondo state, Nigeria and also the efficacy of single dose Praziquantel in chemotherapy.
Study Design: The overall goal of the study was to assess the current endemicity status and efficacy of Praziquantel in treatment at the standard dose of 40mg/kg body weight. Mass screening was conducted in all primary schools in the village after informed consent had been sought from their parents, teachers and the village king. The only age bracket excluded in the study were the under 3 year old.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, between January and June 2012.
Methodology: Urine samples were collected from 567 pupils from five different primary schools in the village and examined for schistosome eggs using centrifugation method. Infected pupils at the first screening exercise were treated with single dose Praziquantel (40mg/kg body weight) and re-examined 3 weeks after treatment to assess cure rate.
Results: Results revealed that 100 pupils were positive at the first screening giving a prevalence rate of 18% and post-treatment urinalysis showed that 80 of the previously infected pupils were negative three weeks after initial treatment giving 80% parasitological cure rate. Infection was higher among male pupils than the female and pupils from schools that were close to the village river had the highest prevalence of infection.
Conclusion: Our findings revealed that prevalence of infection had reduced remarkably among the pupils in the village and that Praziquantel is still effective and remains a reliable drug of choice in chemotherapy in the study area.