Co-occurrence of Intestinal Parasites among School Children of Akonolinga, Centre Region of Cameroon: Emergency Need to Reduce the Health Divide

Background: Intestinal parasitosis pose a serious problem to public health and development, especially for the underprivileged population of low and middle-income countries. School children, who are the most affected, can harbour several parasites at the same time. There is a need to adopt efficient strategies for the elimination of intestinal parasitic infections as a public health problem by 2030. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted to highlight the level of co-occurrence of intestinal parasites among pupils of the Akonolinga locality of the Centre region of Cameroon. Pupils were randomly recruited from 5 public schools; stool samples were collected from those whose parents agreed to participate in the study. Helminth eggs and protozoan cysts were assessed by direct smear and the formol-ether concentration technique. Results: Out of the 416 pupils recruited, 252 were infected by at least one of the ten intestinal parasites identified. The most frequent soil-transmitted helminths were Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura with prevalences of 21.4 % and 18.5 %, respectively. Entamoeba coli was the main protozoan followed by E. histolytica/dispar with prevalences of 29.3% and 23.8%, respectively, and Embadomonas intestinalis was found in only one pupil (0.2%). The co-occurrence of intestinal parasites reached 50% and children with up to four different parasites were detected. The pair of intestinal protozoan parasites, E. histolytica/dispar and E. coli were the most observed with a frequency of 9.5%. Living in a rural setting and young age were important determinants for most of the parasite infections and co-occurrence of parasites. Conclusion: The co-occurrence of intestinal parasites among school children of Akonolinga is high, and this situation is more alarming in rural areas and in younger children. The living conditions and the co-occurrence of parasites must be integrated into public policies for fighting against intestinal parasite infections.