Discussion

Malaria, Schistosomiasis, Typhoid fever and Hepatitis are some of the causes of morbidity and mortality in tropical Africa. This study was carried out in Ogbese, Ise-Ekiti, South-Western, Nigeria to determine the prevalence and co-infection rate of Malaria, Urinary Schistosomiasis, Typhoid fever and Hepatitis B among school children between the ages of 4 -15. The study design and sampling methods were based on standard procedure as recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). A total of 200 pupils were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of Malaria, Urinary Schistosomiasis, Typhoid fever and Hepatitis were 78%, 68%, 54% and 6.5% respectively. The rate of double, triple and quaternary co infections were 75(37.5%), 62(31%) and 3(1.5%) respectively. The discovery that three (3) out of the 200 pupils were infected concomitantly with Malaria, Schistosomiasis, Typhoid fever and Hepatitis shows a total and complete public health programme failure in most developing countries like Nigeria. The roles of sex, age and blood group on this observed multiparasitism were also discussed. Further studies is required to understanding the complex immune interactions involved in this multiparasitism and its effect on the outcome of disease presentation with the aim of designing control interventions.