Infection pattern of Schistosoma haematobium in primary school children of the Kumba Health District, South-West Cameroon.

Studies were carried out on 855 pupils of classes 3, 5 and 7 (age range 5-16 years) attending 17 primary schools in the Kumba Health District, Cameroon, to determine the infection pattern of Schistosoma haematobium in its different communities. The results reveal prevalence rates of 9.7 % for urinary schistosomiasis and 11.6 % for haemuturia. The focal area for Schistosomiasis was Barombi kotto with a prevalence rate of 75.9 %, a finding not significantly different from 78.2 % for haematuria. Low prevalence rates were recorded in the villages at the periphery of Barombi Kotto and also in the vicinity of Kumba town. Lake Barombi Kotto and "Kumba Water" were the main sources of infection in these areas. No significant differences in prevalence were observed between males and females or between children in the different classes surveyed. Age-specific evaluation revealed that peak infection was attained at </=8 years of age, and again at around 14 years of age but dropped thereafter. Egg counts of S. haematobium ranged from zero to 3,240 per 10 ml urine with a mean of 41+/-244. The effects of sex, age and class on intensity of infection were similar to the trend observed in the prevalence pattern. The intensity of infection was positively correlated with the degree of haematuria. Linear regression analysis revealed a very significant correlation between prevalence of schistosomiasis by urine filtration and the occurrence of haematuria as measured by reagent strip testing (r= 0.98, P< 0.001). Sensitivity and specificity of haematuria were 98.8% and 83.8% respectively.