Prevalence and Risk Factors of Urinary Schistosomiasis among School-Aged Children in Devego Sub-Municipal, Ketu North Municipality, Volta Region, Ghana

Background: Schistosomiasis affects an estimated 250 million people worldwide, with 200,000 people dying each year. Despite success in managing the disease, data on its prevalence in non-endemic areas is rare. This study assessed the prevalence and risk factors of urogenital schistosomiasis among people in the Devego sub-municipality of the Ketu North Municipal Volta region, Ghana.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted among 335 respondents. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Urine samples were examined microscopically to identify S. haematobium ova. Categorical data was analyzed and presented as percentages or frequencies. Means, medians and standard deviations were used to summarize the continuous variables. Chi-square/Fishers Exact test was used to determine the associations between the independent and dependent variables and considered significant if P-value was less than 0.05.

Results: The study found 34.6% (116/335) prevalence rate of urinary schistosomiasis among the 335 participants studied. The prevalence rate was 58.6% (68/116) in male respondents and 41.4% (48/116) among female respondents. Respondents aged 11-15 years recorded the highest (41.4%) prevalence. Major risk factors associated with urinary schistosomiasis were; swimming, fetching of water, bathing and washing of cloths ((X2=21.207, P-value < .02); frequency of exposure to fresh water (X2 = 14.684, P = .005, CL = 95%).

Conclusion: Urinary schistosomiasis is common in remote communities with fresh water sources. Chemoprevention should be extended to schistosomiasis non-endemic communities with fresh water sources.