ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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Year : 2004 | Volume
: 7
| Issue : 1 | Page : 13-17 |
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Intestinal parasites among waste-handlers in Jos metropolitan area of plateau state, Nigeria
MBA O Okoronkwo
Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences University of Jos, Nigeria
Correspondence Address:
MBA O Okoronkwo Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences University of Jos Nigeria
Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None | Check |
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Solid waste management is associated with health hazards. The objective of the study was to describe and quantify the type of parasitic infections among waste handlers using formol-ether concentration technique. Stoll egg count method was adopted in the quantitation of the cysts and eggs.
The frequency of parasitic infestation among waste-handlers were as follows: technical staff,
(53 .3%) drivers , (81 .8%) refuse-van loaders (69 .3%), street sweepers (63.5%) and barrow-pushers
80.0%. Entamoeba histolytica was found in 18.2% of drivers , 3.5% refuse-van loaders and 10.0% o.f barrow pushers . Giardia Iamblia was detected in 10 .0% of barrow-pushers alone. About 2.3% o.f van-loaders were infected with Balantidium coli. Ascaris lumbricoides eggs were detected in 5 (16 .7%) technical staff, 14 (15 .9%) van-loaders , 3 (15.0%) barrow-pushers, 11(14.9%) street sweepers and 3 (13 .6%) drivers. Ancylostoma duodenale infected 7 (31 .8%) drivers, 24 (32.4%) street-sweepers and 6 (30 .0%) barrow- pushers. About 3 (10.0%) technical staff, 9 (10.2%) refuse van loaders , 8 (10.8%) street sweepers and 2 (10.0%) barrow-pushers were infected by Schistosoma mansoni respectively Hymenolepis nana infected only 3 (10.0%) of technical staff, while Trichuris trichiura eggs were found in 5 (4.6%) refuse van-loaders, 4 (5.4%) street-sweepers and 1 (5 .4 o/o )
barrow- pushers. Parasite egg intensity was, however, low with Ascaris lumbricoides showing 86 ,226
795 eggs per gram ( epg) ,Ancylostoma duodenale 17 ,352156 epg, Trichuris trichiura 1295219
epg and Hymenolepis nana 26544 epg.
Waste d isposal workers are at hiqh risk of infection with different species of intestinal varasites. |
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