PREVALENCE OF GEOHELMINTHIASIS IN CHILDREN AGED 5 TO 15 YEARS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MAYO-LEMIE, MAYO-KEBBI EAST PROVINCE, CHAD

Geohelminths are roundworms transmitted by soil contaminated with feces.They constitute a serious public health problem in Chad.This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors for geohelminthiasis among children aged 5 to 15 years in the Mayo-Lemie Department of Chad. Stool samples were collected from these children and the Kato-Katz concentration technique was used to identify the parasite. An overall prevalence of 23.29% was obtained, with 79% for Ascaris lumbricoides, 18% for Trichuris trichiura, and 6% for hookworms. Males were more infected (78.43%) than females (21.57%). The [12-15] age group was the most infected (47.06%), followed by the [5-8] age group (29.41%) and the [9-11] age group (23.53%). Guelendeng Hospital had the highest infection rate (31.37%), followed by Bere Health Center (27.45%), Nanguigoto Health Center (23.53%), and Sanang Health Center (17.65%). The risk factors are: ignorance of previous cases (OR=0.765 at 95% CI [0.711 - 0.824] and lack of awareness of geohelminths (OR=4.745 at 95% CI [1.784 - 12.618]. This study showed a high prevalence of geohelminthiasis among children aged 5 to 15 years in the Mayo-Lemie Department of Chad. Hygiene practices should be reinforced in order to reduce the risk associated with these parasites.