Prevalence and intensity of urinary schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths among women of reproductive age in Mwaluphamba, Kwale

Objective: To assess the epidemiology of urinary schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis among women of reproductive age in Mwaluphamba, Kwale County, Kenya. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed to randomly sample 422 women of reproductive age (15-<50 years) from four villages in Mwaluphamba location. Stool specimens were collected and examined using the Kato-Katz method, while filtration technique was used to analyze urine specimens. Participants' sociodemographic details were obtained using a standardized questionnaire. Results: Urinary schistosomiasis prevalence was at 4.7% (20/422, 95% CI 2.8%-6.9%) while the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminthiasis infection was 4.5% (19/422, 95% CI 2.6%-6.7%). The infection intensities of urinary schistosomiasis among the study participants ranged from 1 to 120 eggs/10 mL of urine with median egg count of 18.45 eggs/10 mL. The patients were diagnosed with light infection, of 56.16 egg/gram and 48.48 egg/gram for Trichuris trichiura and hookworms, respectively. Women without latrines had 15.7 times higher risk of having urinary schistosomiasis compared to those with a latrine. Similarly, use of surface water (aOR=1.0, 95% CI 0.2-1.4, P=0.010) and crossing the river to go to a place (aOR=1.1, 95% CI 0.3-1.6, P=0.009) were statistically significant risk factors for getting urinary schistosomiasis. In bivariable regression analysis, defecating around the water source (OR=4.3, 95% CI 1.5-12.9) had a statistically significant association with the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (P=0.008). Conclusions: This study has given an insight on the prevalence and intensity of urinary schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Mwaluphamba location that form a basis for strengthening the control and elimination programmes for these neglected tropical diseases.