Parasitic infections in Pemba Island school children.

Intestinal helminths schistosomiasis and malaria have been recognized for decades to be major public health problems in Zanzibar Tanzania. During the evaluation of the impact of the Zanzibar Helminth Control Programme baseline parasitological data on 3605 school children were collected in Pemba Island. Prevalence of intestinal helminth infections was 72% 94% and 96% for Ascaris lumbricoides Trichuris trichiura and hookworm respectively. 31% of children tested positive for hematuria a reliable indicator of urinary schistosomiasis in the study area. Malaria parasites were found in 61% of children. Hookworm infections and hematuria were more prevalent in boys. 67% of the children were infected with all the three helminths and 28% harbored double infections. No association was found between intestinal helminths and schistosomiasis or malaria. Children living in rural areas were more heavily infected with hookworms schistosomiasis and malaria compared to children in towns. Results from this study provided relevant information for designing a "plan of action" for the integrated control of filariasis intestinal helminths malaria and schistosomiasis in Zanzibar. (authors)