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Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to estimate the rate of schistosomiasis among school children in Berket El Sab district and also to determine factors affecting its prevalence among school children. Background The study area was in Menoufia Governorate, the southern part of the Nile Delta 100-150 km north of Cairo. Berket El Sab district is a model for rural Egypt that depends on the water of the Nile for almost all of its agricultural output. Participants and methods In this study, a multistage random sample of 1000 children of school age (6-15 years) was selected randomly from three primary and three preparatory schools in the study rural area of Berket El Sab district. Data were collected through a predesigned questionnaire including data on name, age, sex, parent education, housing sanitation, and some special habits such as swimming at river. Urine and stool samples were collected for laboratory investigation for schistosomiasis by microscopic examination. Results The rate of schistosomiasis among children in Berket El Sab district was 0.8%. All positive cases were of Schistosoma mansoni, but no Schistosoma haematobium was detected. A highly significant positive correlation was found between male sex and increasing prevalence of schistosomiasis (P<0.05) as 87.5% of positive cases were among males and 12.5% among females. Conclusion The rate of schistosomiasis among children in Berket El Sab district is high, raising an alarm that schistosomiasis remains a major public health problem among children in rural Egypt. There was a predominance of S. mansoni in the study area. The majority of positive cases were among males than females.

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