The Prevalence of Schistosoma Mansoni in Five Selected Secondary School Students in Ngwa-Osisioma Local Government area of Abia State, Nigeria.

This research work was carried out to determine the prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni among Secondary School Students in Ngwa-Osisioma Local Government Area of Abia State. Five Secondary Schools were selected with the age range of the students 12-17 years. The method used for collection of data was by random selection technique. From the results, male tend to be more prone to the infection than their female counterparts. Prevalence rate was 50% for male and 45% for female. The prevalence rate of Schistosoma mansoni in Umuobasi Secondary School (50%) was higher than that for Ekeapara Secondary School (40%), Amavo Secondary School (40%), Umuocha Secondary School (20%) and Okpuala Umugwor Secondary School (0%) was not infected at all. Currently there are two drugs available for the treatment of this Schistosoma infection, which is oxamniquine and praziquantel. They are considered equivalent in relation to efficacy and safety, due to its low cost per treatment but praziquantel is generally considered the first option for treatment