{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,28]],"date-time":"2026-10-28T13:45:56Z","timestamp":1793195156159,"version":"4.5.0"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0011132","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,1]],"date-time":"2023-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1677628800000}}],"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,16]],"date-time":"2023-02-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1676505600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) is a largely neglected tropical disease (NTD), with little or no attention in the primary health care unit. Towards building momentum to address this challenge, we investigated the perception of medical and para-medical students about FGS, as well as the expertise of health care professionals in Anambra State, Nigeria.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methodology<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 587 female medical and para-medical university students (MPMS), and 65 health care professionals (HCPs) saddled with the responsibility of delivering care for schistosomiasis-affected persons. Pretested questionnaires were administered to document the awareness and knowledge about the disease. In addition, the expertise of HCPs vis-\u00e0-vis suspicion of FGS and management of FGS patients during routine health care service were documented. Data were subjected to descriptive, chi-square tests and regression analysis in R software.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Over half of the students recruited; 54.2% for schistosomiasis and 58.1% for FGS, were not aware of the disease. Knowledge about schistosomiasis was associated with student\u2019s year of study, with those in 2<jats:sup>nd<\/jats:sup> (OR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.7), 4<jats:sup>th<\/jats:sup> (OR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.2, 3.2), and 6<jats:sup>th<\/jats:sup> (OR: 5.05, 95% CI: 1.2, 34.2) year having higher likelihoods of been more informed about schistosomiasis. For HCPs, we observed a contrastingly high knowledge about schistosomiasis (96.9%), but low knowledge about FGS (61.9%). Knowledge for both schistosomiasis and FGS was not associated with year of practice and expertise (95% OR included 1, p &gt; 0.05). A considerable proportion (&gt;40%) of the HCPs never suspected schistosomiasis during routine clinical diagnosis of patients who presented probable FGS symptoms (p &lt; 0.05). Similarly, only 20% were certain about the use of praziquantel for treating FGS, and about 35% were uncertain of the eligibility criteria and dosage regimens. Commodities for managing FGS were also largely unavailable in about 39% of the health facilities where the HCPs operate.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Awareness and knowledge about FGS among MPMS and HCPs were poor in Anambra, Nigeria. It is therefore important to invest in innovative methods of building capacity of MPMS and HCPs, with complementary provision of necessary diagnostics to perform colposcopy, as well as competence to diagnose pathognomonic lesions using diagnostic atlas or Artificial Intelligence (AI).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0011132","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,16]],"date-time":"2023-02-16T18:47:18Z","timestamp":1676573238000},"page":"e0011132","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":21,"title":["Profiling the knowledge of female medical\/para-medical students, and expertise of health care professionals on female genital schistosomiasis in Anambra, South Eastern Nigeria"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2530-0865","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ogechukwu B.","family":"Aribodor","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hammed O.","family":"Mogaji","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Olabanji A.","family":"Surakat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nwadiuto O.","family":"Azugo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eunice C.","family":"Jacob","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emmanuel M.","family":"Obikwelu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Obiageli J.","family":"Nebe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julie","family":"Jacobson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"pntd.0011132.ref001","volume-title":"\u201cEnding the neglect to attain the Sustainable Development Goals: a road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021\u20132030,\u201d","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2020"},{"issue":"9936","key":"pntd.0011132.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2253","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(13)61949-2","article-title":"Human schistosomiasis.","volume":"383","author":"DG Colley","year":"2014","journal-title":"Lancet (London, England)"},{"key":"pntd.0011132.ref003","year":"2021","journal-title":"World Health Organization, \u201cSchistosomiasis,\u201d World Health Organization"},{"issue":"4","key":"pntd.0011132.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"422","DOI":"10.1590\/S0074-02762010000400012","article-title":"Acute schistosomiasis mansoni: revisited and reconsidered","volume":"105","author":"RL Jose","year":"2010","journal-title":"Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro"},{"issue":"6","key":"pntd.0011132.ref005","first-page":"504","article-title":"Hepatic schistosomiasis: Current Treatment Options.","volume":"10","author":"KL Andersson","year":"2007","journal-title":"Gastroenterology"},{"issue":"3","key":"pntd.0011132.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"311","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.2005.72.311","article-title":"Simple clinical manifestations of genital Schistosoma haematobium infection in rural Zimbabwean women","volume":"72","author":"EF Kjetland","year":"2005","journal-title":"Am J Trop Med Hyg"},{"issue":"4","key":"pntd.0011132.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"239","DOI":"10.1016\/S0001-706X(96)00026-5","article-title":"Female genital schistosomiasis due to Schistosoma haematobium. 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