{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T18:46:39Z","timestamp":1788547599145,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,1]],"date-time":"2021-12-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1638316800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,17]],"date-time":"2021-12-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1639699200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":16,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institute of Health","award":["R01 A1123074"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01 A1123074"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BMC Infect Dis"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,12]]},"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Background<\/jats:title>\n \n Infections of\n Plasmodium<\/jats:italic>\n species,\n Schistosoma<\/jats:italic>\n species and soil-transmitted helminths (STH) inflict a significant burden on children mostly in deprived communities in Ghana. Despite the deployment of malaria vector control and the annual Mass Drug Administration by National Control Programmes, these infections still pose major public health concerns in Ghana. Some remote communities which are hard-to-reach are not covered by MDA campaigns which is a major challenge to meeting elimination targets. Adequate data is necessary for formulating policies and strengthening interventions to mitigate transmission. This study assessed the infection burden of\n Plasmodium<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n Schistosoma<\/jats:italic>\n species and STH infections among school children in communities in Southern and Northern Ghana.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Method<\/jats:title>\n \n School children living in communities in Southern (Ada Foah, Pediatorkope, Tuanikope) and Northern (Kpalsogu) Ghana were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. A total of 493 (241 males and 252 females) school children aged (2\u201315\u00a0years) were enrolled in the study. Stool samples were collected to screen for\n Schistosoma mansoni<\/jats:italic>\n and STH infections using the formol-ether concentration technique and urine samples were also collected to screen for\n S. haematobium<\/jats:italic>\n using the routine urine examination method.\n Plasmodium<\/jats:italic>\n parasitaemia was determined from thick and thin finger-prick blood samples.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Overall, the prevalence of\n P. falciparum<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n S. mansoni<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n S. haematobium<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n Trichuris trichiura<\/jats:italic>\n and hookworm infections were 17.2% (95%CI 12.8\u201319.7), 22.6% (95%CI 25.2\u201332.7), 1.6% (95%CI 0.89\u20135.2), 1.2% (95%CI 0.78\u20134.8) and 1.2% (95%CI 0.78\u20134.8) respectively.\n Plasmodium falciparum<\/jats:italic>\n infection was generally widespread in all the study sites with Ada Foah recording the highest prevalence (35.3%) and Kpalsogu recording the lowest (5.8%).\n Schistosoma mansoni<\/jats:italic>\n was present in only two Southern communities with Tuanikope recording the highest prevalence of 70.3% as against 51.5% recorded in Pediatorkope. A total of 4.5% (95% CI 2.82\u201310.8) of the children were co-infected with\n P. falciparum<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n Schistosoma<\/jats:italic>\n species and STHs. This occurred only in the Southern communities; of which combination of\n P. falciparum<\/jats:italic>\n and\n S. mansoni<\/jats:italic>\n were predominant (1.4%).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n \n A relatively low burden of parasites co-infection among children only in the Southern communities was detected. However, there were a high prevalence of single infections of\n P. falciparum<\/jats:italic>\n and\n S. mansoni<\/jats:italic>\n in those communities. Control measures for the helminths needs to be restarted in the island communities with a high burden of\n S. mansoni<\/jats:italic>\n infections and that of Plasmodium needs to be scaled up in Ada Foah where\n P. falciparum<\/jats:italic>\n infections were high.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-021-06972-1","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,17]],"date-time":"2021-12-17T00:02:29Z","timestamp":1639699349000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["Infection of Plasmodium falciparum and helminths among school children in communities in Southern and Northern Ghana"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"G.","family":"Akosah-Brempong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S. K.","family":"Attah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"I. A.","family":"Hinne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"A.","family":"Abdulai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"K.","family":"Addo-Osafo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"E. L.","family":"Appiah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M.-M.","family":"Osei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Y. A.","family":"Afrane","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"6972_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Matangila JR, Doua JY, Linsuke S, Madinga J, Inoc\u00eancio Da Luz R, Van Geertruyden JP, et al. Malaria, schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth burden and their correlation with anemia in children attending primary schools in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(11):1\u201311.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0110789"},{"issue":"5","key":"6972_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"841","DOI":"10.1093\/infdis\/jir844","volume":"205","author":"SJ Brooker","year":"2012","unstructured":"Brooker SJ, Pullan RL, Gitonga CW, Ashton RA, Kolaczinski JH, Kabatereine NB, et al. Plasmodium-helminth coinfection and its sources of heterogeneity across East Africa. 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J Clin Invest. 2008;118(4):1311\u201321.","journal-title":"J Clin Invest"},{"key":"6972_CR5","first-page":"2015","volume-title":"Investing to overcome the global impact of neglected tropical diseases: third WHO report on neglected diseases 2015","author":"WHO","year":"2015","unstructured":"WHO. Investing to overcome the global impact of neglected tropical diseases: third WHO report on neglected diseases 2015. Geneva: WHO Press, World Health Organization; 2015. p. 2015."},{"key":"6972_CR6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kinung\u2019hi SM, Magnussen P, Kaatano GM, Kishamawe C, Vennervald BJ. Malaria and helminth co-infections in school and preschool children: a cross-sectional study in Magu district, North-Western Tanzania. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(1):1\u20138.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0086510"},{"key":"6972_CR7","unstructured":"President\u2019s Malaria Initiative. Fighting malaria and saving lives: Ghana country profile [Internet]. President\u2019s Malaria Initiative. 2020. p. 1\u20132. Available from: https:\/\/www.pmi.gov\/docs\/default-source\/default-document-library\/country-profiles\/ghana_profile.pdf?sfvrsn=22."},{"key":"6972_CR8","volume-title":"Ghana malaria indicator survey 2019","author":"Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), ICF","year":"2019","unstructured":"Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), ICF. Ghana malaria indicator survey 2019. Accra, Rockville: GSS and ICF; 2019."},{"issue":"1","key":"6972_CR9","first-page":"1","volume":"34","author":"DR Yirenya-Tawiah","year":"2011","unstructured":"Yirenya-Tawiah DR, Annang T, Otchere J, Bentum D, Edoh D, Amoah C, et al. Urinary schistosomiasis among adults in the Volta Basin of Ghana: prevalence, knowledge and practices. J Trop Med Parasitol. 2011;34(1):1\u201316.","journal-title":"J Trop Med Parasitol"},{"key":"6972_CR10","unstructured":"GHS. Master plan for Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme, Ghana (2016\u20132020). 2016. p. 31."},{"issue":"131","key":"6972_CR11","first-page":"1","volume":"35","author":"M Ahiadorme","year":"2020","unstructured":"Ahiadorme M, Morhe E. Soil-transmitted helminth infections in Ghana: a ten-year review. Pan Afr Med J. 2020;35(131):1\u201316.","journal-title":"Pan Afr Med J"},{"issue":"4","key":"6972_CR12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"514","DOI":"10.1590\/S0037-86822012000400020","volume":"45","author":"L Lobato","year":"2012","unstructured":"Lobato L, Miranda A, Faria IM, Bethony JM, Gazzinelli MF. Development of cognitive abilities of children infected with helminths through health education. 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Trop Dis Travel Med Vaccines. 2018;4(1):1\u20136.","journal-title":"Trop Dis Travel Med Vaccines"}],"container-title":["BMC Infectious Diseases"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1186\/s12879-021-06972-1.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1186\/s12879-021-06972-1\/fulltext.html","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1186\/s12879-021-06972-1.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,17]],"date-time":"2021-12-17T00:02:43Z","timestamp":1639699363000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12879-021-06972-1"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,12]]},"references-count":22,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,12]]}},"alternative-id":["6972"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s12879-021-06972-1","relation":{"has-preprint":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.21203\/rs.3.rs-679864\/v1","asserted-by":"object"}]},"ISSN":["1471-2334"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1471-2334","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,12]]},"assertion":[{"value":"3 July 2021","order":1,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"7 December 2021","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"17 December 2021","order":3,"name":"first_online","label":"First Online","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"order":1,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"Ethical approval was provided by the Ethics and Protocol Review Committee (EPRC) of the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana (CHS-ET\/M.2-4.10\/2018-2019<\/i>). The study was conducted in accordance to the regulations and guidelines of EPRC of the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana. The rights and welfare of all participants were protected and the risks involved in this study were considered and minimized. The confidentiality of the data was maintained to ensure the safety and privacy of all participants. Prior to the study, school meetings were held during which the purpose and procedures of the study were discussed. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects and\/or their legal guardian(s).","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare that they have no competing interests.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"1259"}}