Impact of Praziquantel Mass Drug Administration on Schistosomiasis: A Comparison of Prevalence and Risk Factors Between Treated School Aged Children and Untreated Adults in Abuja, Nigeria

Jacob, Solomon M.; Akinbo, Sophie Y.; Oluwole, Akinola S.; Agbana, Temitope; Omoruyi, Zainab; Okungbowa, Michael A.; Diehl, Jan-Carel; Akinbo, Fredrick O.

doi:10.3390/ijerph22050672

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Impact of Praziquantel Mass Drug Administration on Schistosomiasis: A Comparison of Prevalence and Risk Factors Between Treated School Aged Children and Untreated Adults in Abuja, Nigeria

by

Solomon M. Jacob

^1,2

,

Sophie Y. Akinbo

³,

Akinola S. Oluwole

⁴,

Temitope Agbana

^5,6,

Zainab Omoruyi

¹,

Michael A. Okungbowa

¹,

Jan-Carel Diehl

^6,*

and

Fredrick O. Akinbo

¹

Department of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Benin, P.M.B. 1154, Benin City 300283, Nigeria

²

Department of Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health, P.M.B. 083, Garki, Abuja 900108, Nigeria

³

Department of Molecular Biology Diagnosis, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL 60611, USA

⁴

Sightsavers Country Office, Abuja 900271, Nigeria

⁵

AiDx Medical Bv, 2641 KM Pijnacker, The Netherlands

⁶

Sustainable Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(5), 672; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050672

Submission received: 19 January 2025 / Revised: 17 April 2025 / Accepted: 21 April 2025 / Published: 24 April 2025

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Abstract

Introduction: One of the global strategies for the elimination of schistosomiasis is by Mass Drug Administration (MDA) of a single oral dose of praziquantel (40 mg/kg) without a prior individual diagnosis, with a target of >75% treatment coverage among school-aged children. This study was conducted to determine the endemicity of schistosomiasis among school-aged children and adults in Abuja, Nigeria. Methods: A total of 1370 participants were recruited, which consisted of 667 (48.67%) males and 703 (51.31%) females. Urine and stool specimens were collected from each participant and analyzed using standard procedures. Results: The overall prevalence of schistosomiasis was 27.5% in this study with Abuja Municipal having the highest prevalence of 49%, while the least (6.1%) was reported in Bwari LAC. The prevalence of schistosomiasis significantly differs (p < 0.05) between the area councils. The location of communities significantly affected the prevalence of schistosomiasis in Abaji, AMAC, and Gwagwalada LACs (p < 0.005). The Schistosoma recovered in this study were S. haematobium and S. mansoni. The prevalence of schistosomiasis increased from the baseline of 21.1% to 49% in Gwagwalada LAC. Gender significantly affected the prevalence of schistosomiasis as more males were infected (33.1%) than their female counterparts (22.2%) (p < 0.05). The prevalence of schistosomiasis was 31% and 23.9% among SAC and adults, respectively. The participants’ activities in the river significantly affected the prevalence of schistosomiasis in this study (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The clamour for urgent government and non-government intervention through alternate sources of water like boreholes or pipe-borne water, as well as implementing a behavioural change campaign across the communities to prevent the recurrence, are advocated.

Keywords: schistosomiasis; endemicity; school-aged children; praziquantel effect; Abuja

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MDPI and ACS Style

Jacob, S.M.; Akinbo, S.Y.; Oluwole, A.S.; Agbana, T.; Omoruyi, Z.; Okungbowa, M.A.; Diehl, J.-C.; Akinbo, F.O. Impact of Praziquantel Mass Drug Administration on Schistosomiasis: A Comparison of Prevalence and Risk Factors Between Treated School Aged Children and Untreated Adults in Abuja, Nigeria. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 672. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050672

AMA Style

Jacob SM, Akinbo SY, Oluwole AS, Agbana T, Omoruyi Z, Okungbowa MA, Diehl J-C, Akinbo FO. Impact of Praziquantel Mass Drug Administration on Schistosomiasis: A Comparison of Prevalence and Risk Factors Between Treated School Aged Children and Untreated Adults in Abuja, Nigeria. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(5):672. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050672

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jacob, Solomon M., Sophie Y. Akinbo, Akinola S. Oluwole, Temitope Agbana, Zainab Omoruyi, Michael A. Okungbowa, Jan-Carel Diehl, and Fredrick O. Akinbo. 2025. "Impact of Praziquantel Mass Drug Administration on Schistosomiasis: A Comparison of Prevalence and Risk Factors Between Treated School Aged Children and Untreated Adults in Abuja, Nigeria" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 5: 672. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050672

APA Style

Jacob, S. M., Akinbo, S. Y., Oluwole, A. S., Agbana, T., Omoruyi, Z., Okungbowa, M. A., Diehl, J.-C., & Akinbo, F. O. (2025). Impact of Praziquantel Mass Drug Administration on Schistosomiasis: A Comparison of Prevalence and Risk Factors Between Treated School Aged Children and Untreated Adults in Abuja, Nigeria. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(5), 672. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050672

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Impact of Praziquantel Mass Drug Administration on Schistosomiasis: A Comparison of Prevalence and Risk Factors Between Treated School Aged Children and Untreated Adults in Abuja, Nigeria

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