Background
Schistosoma haematobium causes urogenital schistosomiasis (UgS), responsible for the largest number of schistosomiasis infections in sub-Saharan Africa, including Cameroon.
Objective
This study aimed to determine the prevalence and epidemiological factors associated with UgS among school children in three Health Districts (HDs) of Cameroon.
Study design
This was a school-based cross-sectional study that took place in Lagdo (North region), Loum and Njombe-Penja (Littoral region) HDs of Cameroon, from April 2022 to June 2023.
Methods
A total of 600 pupils were enrolled in this study, consisting of 100, 200, and 300 pupils from Loum, NjombePenja, and Lagdo HDs, respectively. Of these, 308 boys and 292 girls aged 8–14 years old were included. Urine samples were collected from the pupils and examined microscopically for Schistosoma haematobium eggs. The prevalence of UgS was compared across various groups (e.g., HDs, sex, and age) using the Chi-square test. Epidemiological factors associated with UgS were identified using binary logistic regression and odds ratio (OR). A p<0.05 at a 95% confidence interval (CI) was considered statistically significant.
Results
The overall prevalence of UgS was 16.2% (97/600). UgS infections were found in 28.3% (n=85), 12.0% (n=12), and nil (n=0) of pupils in Lagdo, Loum, and Njombe-Penja HDs, respectively. In the Lagdo HD, 1.0% (3/300) urine-derived co-infection of Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni was found. UgS infection was significantly higher in males (19.2%; 59/308) than in females (13.0%; 38/292) (p=0.041) but not with age groups (in years: ≤ 10, 11–12, and 13–14) (p=0.073). Moreover, higher risk of UgS infection were observed in pupils from Lagdo HD (OR: 2.899; CI: 1.509–5.572) and boys (OR: 1.584; CI: 1.016–2.468), when compared to others in their respective categories.
Conclusions
Urinary eggs of Schistosoma haematobium were present in 28.3% of samples at Lagdo HD, 12.0% at Loum HD, and nil at Njombe-Penja HD. HDs and sex were epidemiological factors associated with UgS infection. This necessitates disease education, improvement of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) infrastructures, and snail vector control in at-risk localities, to improve schistosomiasis control/elimination efforts.
BT - BMC Infectious Diseases DO - 10.1186/s12879-025-11685-w IS - 1 LA - ENG M3 - Article N2 -Background
Schistosoma haematobium causes urogenital schistosomiasis (UgS), responsible for the largest number of schistosomiasis infections in sub-Saharan Africa, including Cameroon.
Objective
This study aimed to determine the prevalence and epidemiological factors associated with UgS among school children in three Health Districts (HDs) of Cameroon.
Study design
This was a school-based cross-sectional study that took place in Lagdo (North region), Loum and Njombe-Penja (Littoral region) HDs of Cameroon, from April 2022 to June 2023.
Methods
A total of 600 pupils were enrolled in this study, consisting of 100, 200, and 300 pupils from Loum, NjombePenja, and Lagdo HDs, respectively. Of these, 308 boys and 292 girls aged 8–14 years old were included. Urine samples were collected from the pupils and examined microscopically for Schistosoma haematobium eggs. The prevalence of UgS was compared across various groups (e.g., HDs, sex, and age) using the Chi-square test. Epidemiological factors associated with UgS were identified using binary logistic regression and odds ratio (OR). A p<0.05 at a 95% confidence interval (CI) was considered statistically significant.
Results
The overall prevalence of UgS was 16.2% (97/600). UgS infections were found in 28.3% (n=85), 12.0% (n=12), and nil (n=0) of pupils in Lagdo, Loum, and Njombe-Penja HDs, respectively. In the Lagdo HD, 1.0% (3/300) urine-derived co-infection of Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni was found. UgS infection was significantly higher in males (19.2%; 59/308) than in females (13.0%; 38/292) (p=0.041) but not with age groups (in years: ≤ 10, 11–12, and 13–14) (p=0.073). Moreover, higher risk of UgS infection were observed in pupils from Lagdo HD (OR: 2.899; CI: 1.509–5.572) and boys (OR: 1.584; CI: 1.016–2.468), when compared to others in their respective categories.
Conclusions
Urinary eggs of Schistosoma haematobium were present in 28.3% of samples at Lagdo HD, 12.0% at Loum HD, and nil at Njombe-Penja HD. HDs and sex were epidemiological factors associated with UgS infection. This necessitates disease education, improvement of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) infrastructures, and snail vector control in at-risk localities, to improve schistosomiasis control/elimination efforts.
PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC PY - 2025 SP - 1 EP - 13 T2 - BMC Infectious Diseases TI - Prevalence and epidemiological factors associated with urogenital schistosomiasis amongst school children in three health districts of Cameroon; Lagdo (North), Loum and Njombe-Penja (Littoral): a cross-sectional study UR - https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12879-025-11685-w.pdf VL - 25 SN - 1471-2334 ER -