Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
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Association Between the Prevalence of Schistosomiasis in Elementary School Students and Their Parental Occupation in Sudan

  • Jin, Yan (Department of Microbiology, Dongguk University College of Medicine) ;
  • Cha, Seungman (Department of Global Development and Entrepreneurship, Graduate School of Global Development and Entrepreneurship, Handong Global University) ;
  • Kim, Youngjin (Department of Global Development and Entrepreneurship, Graduate School of Global Development and Entrepreneurship, Handong Global University) ;
  • Hamdan, Hamdan Mustafa (Communnicable and Non-Communicable Diseases Control Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health) ;
  • Elhag, Mousab Siddig (Communnicable and Non-Communicable Diseases Control Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health) ;
  • Ismail, Hassan Ahmed Hassan Ahmed (Communnicable and Non-Communicable Diseases Control Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health) ;
  • Lee, Keon Hoon (Korea Association of Health Promotion) ;
  • Hong, Sung-Tae (Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Seoul National University College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2021.08.03
  • Accepted : 2022.01.12
  • Published : 2022.02.28
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Abstract

Global efforts to identify groups at high risk for schistosomiasis have mainly concentrated on identifying their geographical distribution. Investigations on the socioeconomic characteristics of high-risk groups are relatively scarce. This study aimed to explore the associations between schistosomiasis among students and their parents' occupations. A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted targeting 105,167 students in 1,772 primary schools across Sudan in 2017. From these students, 100,726 urine and 96,634 stool samples were collected to test for Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni infection. A multi-level mixed effect analysis was used with age and sex as fixed factors, and school as a random factor. The odd ratios (ORs) of practicing open defecation among farmers' children were almost 5 times higher than their counterparts whose parents were government officials (OR=4.97, 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 4.57-5.42, P<0.001). The ORs of contacting water bodies for watering livestock among farmers' children were more than 4 times higher than those of children whose parents were government officials (OR=4.59, 95% CIs: 4.02-5.24, P<0.001). This study shows that schistosomiasis represents a disease of poverty and that farmers' children constituted a high-risk group.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors thank the project team members for their efforts and contributions to controlling NTDs in Sudan. The authors extend their appreciation to community members, the Ministries of Heath of 18 states, and the Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan. Special thanks go to Mr. Hoo-Gn Jeoung, Director, Health Examination Managing Bureau, Korea Association of Health Promotion. The project was funded by KOICA(P-2015-00145). The authors also extend their appreciation to KOICA.

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