Some social aspects of helminthiasis among the people of Gumau District, Bauchi State, Nigeria.

A helminthological study of faecal materials collected from 1037 people from four rural communities in Gumau District of Bauchi State, Nigeria was carried out using a standard diagnostic procedure. The study is the first parasitological survey to be carried out in this rural district. Thirty-nine percent of examined persons were infected with helminths. Ascaris lumbricoides, Schistosoma mansoni, Trichuris trichiura, Hymenolepis nana, Strongyloides stercoralis, Taenia sp. and hookworm were encountered. Mixed infections were very common. There did not seem to be any difference between these and results obtained half a century ago in similar areas of northern Nigeria. The findings are discussed from the point of view of the social aspects of the people which encourage host-parasite contact and their implications for public health. Suggestions are made for the control of helminth parasites in the district.