Prevalence and factors contributing to hookworm infection among patients attending Kajjansi health centre IV in Wakiso district. A cross-sectional study.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51168/sjhrafrica.v7i3.2304Keywords:
Prevalence, Level of knowledge, Hookworm infection, Kajjansi Health Centre IV, WakisoAbstract
Background:
Hookworm infection poses a considerable public health challenge, especially in rural areas where sanitation and hygiene are inadequate. It can cause anaemia and impaired cognitive development, with children and pregnant women being vulnerable. The study sought to assess the prevalence, level of knowledge, and contributing factors of hookworm infection among patients attending Kajjansi Health Centre IV.
Methods:
The study adopted a health facility-based cross-sectional design involving 63 patients. Stool samples were collected from the study participants, wet saline preparations made, and examined for the presence of hookworm ova. Data was cleaned to ensure completeness, consistency, and accuracy, then entered and analysed by a computer package known as SPSS (version 23.0).
Results:
The overall prevalence of hookworm infection was 15/63(23.8%). The study involved 31 males and 32 females. The age range was 17 to 51 years, and the mean age was 34years. Among the participants, 60% had poor knowledge of hookworm infection, and 40% had good knowledge. Among the respondents who were involved in the study, the highest rate of prevalence of hookworm infection was seen among participants who had no toilet or pit latrine with 6/8(75%), practiced gardening with 14/21(66.7%), never took deworming drugs with 13/20(65%), didn’t put on shoes with 12/27(44.4%), those who did not drink boiled water with 4/34(11.8%) and there was no association between hookworm infection and the participants who washed hands after visiting the toilet and before eating food.
Conclusions:
The most affected individuals were those without pit latrines or toilets. The majority were not aware of the existence of hookworms. There is continuous exposure to predisposing factors, like being in contact with domestic animals and drinking unsafe water.
Recommendations:
There is a need for mass community awareness of hookworm infection to help curb the spread, and this makes them susceptible to hookworm infection.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Richard Kafunike , Frank Anthony Ssegujja, Fransisco Ssemuwemba , Hasifa Nansereko, Anthony Isaiah Ssekitoleko, Jane Frank Nalubega
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