PREVALENCE OF HOOKWORM INFECTION: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY IN KUMASI, GHANA

Abstract

Introduction- Epidemiological information such as trends of prevalence of hookworm infection is a prerequisite to developing and/or sustaining control strategies. Objective- This study specifically sought to establish the prevalence of hookworm infection among patients who reported at the Parasitology Laboratory of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for intestinal parasitic investigation. Method- A retrospective study conducted covered available data from January 2001 to December 2011. Records of patients referred to the Parasitology Laboratory of the hospital were manually reviewed for hookworm infection. Data on age, sex and status of hookworm infection (either present or absent) were retrieved and analyzed using Microsoft excel 2007 statistical package. Results- A total of 47147 patients reported at the laboratory for intestinal parasitic investigations. Out of this number, 158 were hookworm positive, representing an overall prevalence of 0.3% (158/47147). Among the positive cases, the study revealed that the proportion of individuals in age groups <1, 1 to 9, 10 to 19, 20 to 29, and 30 to 39 years infected were 1.3%(2), 10.8%(17), 16.5%(26), 27.2%(43) and 23.4%(37) respectively. However, the proportion of patients in age groups 40 to 49, 50 to 59 and ≥60 years infected were 8.7%(14), 5.7%(9) and 7.0%(11) respectively. Among the infected patients 62.7% (99) were females while 37.3% (59) were males. The yearly prevalence rate dropped consistently from 0.8% in 2001 to 0.1% in 2005. It however increased marginally in 2006 (0.3%) and dropped to 0.0% in 2011. There were indications of seasonal variation regarding the monthly prevalence rates of hookworm infection. Conclusion- The overall prevalence of hookworm was relatively low among the study population. However, the study suggests that hookworm infestation is generally high between April and August.