Prevalence, intensity and factors associated with soil-transmitted helminths infections among preschool-age children in Hoima district, rural western Uganda

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Abstract

Background

Over 80% of morbidity due to soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) occurs in low-income countries. Children under 5 account for 20–30% of the burden in endemic areas. This study assessed the prevalence, intensity and factors associated with STH infections among preschool-age children (PSAC) in Hoima district, Uganda. The PSAC are particularly vulnerable because the chronicity of this condition usually affects their physical and mental growth and development.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out among 562 PSAC (1–5 years old) in 6 counties of Hoima district using Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) method. Stool samples from children were examined using the formol ether concentration technique for STH egg detection. Egg counts were represented as egg per gram (EPG). A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on factors associated with STH infection. Generalized linear models were used to analyze relationships between STH infection and associated factors.

Results

Overall STH prevalence was 26.5%. Hookworm infection was the most prevalent (18.5%), followed by A.lumbricoides (9.8%) and T.trichiura (0.5%). Prevalence of STH infection was significantly higher in children aged 5 years (Pearson chi-square test, p = 0.009) than in children aged 1 year. The general geometric mean (GM) counts for Hookworm infection was (696.1 EPG; range (530.3–913.8)) with girls having a higher GM (789.8 EPG; range (120–13,200)) than boys. Eating uncooked or unwashed vegetables (adj. Prevalence Ratio (PR) = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.3–2.7) and fruits (adj.PR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1–2.8), indiscriminate disposal of young children’s faeces (adj.PR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1–2.0); not washing hands after defecation (adj.PR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.9–3.6); and not deworming children regularly (adj.PR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1–1.8) were significantly associated with STH infection.

Conclusion

The prevalence of Soil transmitted helminths infection among preschool-age children in Hoima district significantly increased with age. Poor hygiene, inadequate sanitation and irregular deworming were associated with STH infections among PSAC in the study area. Intense health education on the importance of hygienic practices, improved sanitation and regular deworming of PSAC should be integrated into prevention and control programs.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12879-018-3289-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Silvestro Ojja:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0764-3511

ojjalikibondings@gmail.com

Stevens Kisaka: bmks@dr.com

Michael Ediau: ediaumichael@gmail.com

Doreen Tuhebwe: dtuhebwe@musph.ac.ug

Angela N. Kisakye: akisakye@musph.ac.ug

Abdullah A. Halage: ahalage@musph.ac.ug

Richard K. Mugambe: rmugambe@musph.ac.ug

Joan N. Mutyoba: jmutyoba@musph.ac.ug

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): BMC Infect Dis

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): BMC Infect. Dis

Title: BMC Infectious Diseases

Publisher: BioMed Central (London )

ISSN (Electronic): 1471-2334

Publication date (Electronic): 17 August 2018

Publication date PMC-release: 17 August 2018

Publication date Collection: 2018

Volume: 18

Electronic Location Identifier: 408

Affiliations

[1 ]ISNI 0000 0004 0620 0548, GRID grid.11194.3c, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, , Makerere University School of Public Health, ; Kampala, Uganda

[2 ]ISNI 0000 0004 0620 0548, GRID grid.11194.3c, Department of Health Policy Planning and Management, , Makerere University School of Public Health, ; Kampala, Uganda

[3 ]ISNI 0000 0004 0620 0548, GRID grid.11194.3c, Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health, , Makerere University School of Public Health, ; Kampala, Uganda

Author information

Silvestro Ojja http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0764-3511

Article

Publisher ID: 3289

DOI: 10.1186/s12879-018-3289-0

PMC ID: 6098587

PubMed ID: 30119650

SO-VID: 73021516-ac73-44ed-92b8-ec92a0cbcd1d

License:

Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.