Infection Status and Risk Factors Associated with Urinary Schistosomiasis Among School-going Children in the Ndumo Area of UMkhanyakude District in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Two Years Post-treatment

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of praziquantel in children infected with Schistosoma haematobium over a 2-year period in the Ndumo area of uMkhanyakude District, South Africa.

Methods: This cohort study enrolled 173 school-going children in September 2017 who had participated in a baseline survey conducted in 2015 in the Ndumo area. Questionnaire interviews were conducted to collect information on the risk factors related to the transmission of schistosomiasis. The filtration technique was performed to detect Schistosoma haematobium eggs in urine. Infection intensity was classified as light or heavy. The Chi-square test was used to assess the associations between variables at the 95% confidence level, and p=0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Of the 173 participants screened 2 years post-treatment, 10 were infected. Six of these were new infection cases, while four were cases of re-infection. The intensity of infection had decreased significantly (p=0.001) at the time of the follow-up survey compared to the baseline survey. However, no significant difference was found among the risk factors for schistosomiasis 2 years later.

Conclusions: The prevalence of S. haematobium had decreased significantly in the cohort at 2 years post praziquantel treatment, during a period of persistent drought in the area. Risk factors that were significantly associated with schistosomiasis at baseline were no longer significantly associated at 2 years following treatment.