Prevalence of Enterobius Vermicularis Infections Among The Inhabitants of Okordia, Biseni and Zarama Communities in Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm) is one of the helminthic worms belonging to the class nematode. It causes Enterobiasis which is a known public health problem in tropical and subtropical countries. This study was carried out between November 2020 and August 2021, and aimed to evaluate the prevalence of E. vermicularis infections among the inhabitants of Okordia, Beseni and Zarama communities in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. A cross sectional survey was adopted and a total of two hundred (200) stool samples were randomly collected from the inhabitants in these communities. Wet preparations (saline and lugol’s iodine), and formol ether concentration technique were used to analyzed the stool samples. The preparations were examined microscopically with 10× and 40× objective lens respectively. Overall results revealed a prevalence of 6(27.2%) Enterobius vermicularis infections among the inhabitants in the communities of which, males 4(66.7%) and females 2(33.3%). Among the inhabitants in the three communities, people within the ages of 5-15 years had the highest prevalence rate of about 50%. Our study demonstrated a high prevalence of E. vermicularis among the inhabitants in Okordia, Beseni and Zarama communities in Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. This parasite is common among the people living in these communities; hence more epidemiological survey should be carried out in the studied area.