Parasitic Infections among Independent Refuse Disposal Workers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Background: A study was carried out to ascertain the prevalence of parasitic infections among independent refuse disposal workers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, and to ascertain the risk factors that enhance their vulnerability to parasitic infections.

Aims: The study was undertaken to determine parasitic infections among independent refuse

disposal workers in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Methods: Urine, stool and blood specimens were collected from 210 male refuse disposal workers. Standard parasitological procedures were employed in sample collection and examinations for the presence of various parasitic organisms.

Results: Results showed 86.2% of the subjects were infected with Plasmodium sp, 94.3% were infected with one or more of 9 parasitic species, of which hookworm had the highest prevalence (91.4%). Others included are Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Taenia sp, Strongyloides stercoralis, Enterobius vermicularis, Schistosoma mansoni, Entamoeba hystolytica, Girdia lamblia. Schistosoma haematobium was not recovered from the urine specimens. Age group 26-29 years had the highest malaria prevalence of 89.1%, followed by age group 18-21 years (88.4%) while parasitic infection rate was highest among the age group 18-21(97.6%). Refuse disposal workers who reside in Rumuokoro camp had the highest malaria and intestinal parasites followed by Eneka. Poly-parasitism with A. lumbricoides and hookworm recorded the highest prevalence of 58 (27.8%) and fifteen subjects had triple poly-parasitism, with A. lumbricoides, hookworm and T. trichiura. Only 49 of the 210 respondents used one or more of the various personal protective equipment, while 161 used none at all.

Conclusion: Intestinal parasitic infection is highly prevalent among the independent refuse disposal workers in Port Harcourt. Inadequate use of personal protective equipment, poor personal hygiene and deplorable living conditions were identified as the major risk factors that enhanced transmission. It is therefore, imperative that the government enforces the use of personal protective equipment, implementation of preventive chemotherapy with health education to reduce morbidity and control transmission among the workers.