Nutritional Status and Prevalence of Vector Borne Para site (Pediculus Capitis) As Emerging Community Medicine Threat in Some Selected Primary Schools in Maiduguri, Borno State.

¹Fatima L. B,  ²Ali A.G. Benisheikh, ³Muhammad U. Bumpa, ⁴Zara Z. Shettima, ⁵Zainab M. Kolo and ⁶Hassan Mohammed Yahaya

ABSTRACT

The emergence of vector borne parasitic diseases and poor nutritional status among school children is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in tropical and sub-tropical countries where there is constraints of qualitative dietary products. The number of cases of vector parasitic diseases such as pediculosis and malnutrition are exponentially increasing due influx of children in rural areas due to the insurgency experienced for over a decade in the study area. A study to identify and determine the prevalence of pediculosis humanus capitis infesting primary children in four different locations was carried out in June 2024 –December 2024 in Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria. A total of 100 Primary school children were examined with overall prevalence of 34% in male pupils, and 32 % in female from four different primary schools. The results on the prevalence of pediculosis-based on age and sex distribution in study area revealed that 40.0% of male pupils were infested with head lice, with 58.3% in ≤6 years and 46.4% in >6 years old pupils. Similarly, 48.0% infestation was recorded in female with highest incidences of 47.1 % in ≤6 years old pupils and 45.5% in >6 years old pupils. The results on determination of nutritional status using Anthropometric and stadiometer based on age of children revealed that, 54.0 % of Children between the age of 6-11examined were nutritionally normal, while 46.0 % had abnormal nutritional status. The findings of this study have revealed the public health attention and immediately community medicinal mobilization to mitigate the potential consequences of the parasite and malnutrition among pupils in the study area.

Keywords: Pediculosis, Nutritional status, Emerging, community medicine, Borno state, Prevalence, Vector Borne.