Gastrointestinal Protozoa and Geohelminth Infections and their Associated Risk Factors Among Primary School Pupils in Bindawa Local Government Area of Katsina State, Nigeria

Background and Objective: Gastrointestinal protozoans and geohelminths infections are among diseases that are grouped under Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), most endemic among the poor and vulnerable populations in the tropics. This study was conducted to assess gastrointestinal protozoan and geohelminth infections and their associated risk factors among primary school pupils in Bindawa Local Government Area (LGA) of Katsina State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Stool samples were randomly collected from 440 pupils attending 11 selected primary schools within the LGA. Wet mount and concentration techniques were adopted for the analysis of the stool samples and examined using microscopy. Data were analysed using Chi-square analysis and odd ratio (OR) at 0.05 level of significance. Results: Among the 440 pupils sampled, 194 (44.09%) were infected with one parasite or the other. Males (45.5%) had more infections than their female counterparts (42.7%). The most commonly identified intestinal parasites were Ascaris lumbricoides (15.5%), Entamoeba histolytica (6.8%), hookworms (7.7%), Trichuris trichiura (3.4%) and Giardia lamblia (4.1%). Conclusion: This study concluded that there was a presence of intestinal parasitic infections among the primary school pupils in the study area with associated transmission risks.