Prevalence of Amoebiasis and Associated Risk Factors among Patients Attending Murang’a, Maragua and Githumu Hospitals in Murang’a County, Kenya
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Date
2024-10
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Entamoeba histolytica (EH) is a parasite that causes amoebiasis. It is estimated that
worldwide, there are about 50 million cases of amoebiasis out of which between
40,000 and 110,000 deaths occur annually from this infection. In Kenya, amoebiasis
is associated with morbidities and mortalities affecting all age categories. Extended
studies focusing on disease epidemiology have not been carried out in large parts of
the Country despite the public health importance of the disease. The objective of the
present study was to establish the prevalence of amoebiasis and disease associated
factors in Murang’a County. The study was based on three selected health facilities
including Murang’a, Maragua and Githumu hospitals. The study involved both
prospective and retrospective approaches in data collection. The retrospective study
involved compilation of statistics from medical records for a period from January
2015 to December 2019. The prospective study involved administration of
questionnaires to collect data on demographic characteristics and risk factors
associated with amoebiasis. In addition, 264 stool samples were collected from study
subjects for analysis of prevalence of Entamoeba histolytica cysts and trophozoites
through microscopy. Data analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for the
Social Sciences (SPSS) utilizing the Chi-Square statistics for association tests.
Results indicated that, the average prevalence of amoebiasis in the study was
25.58%. Findings revealed that out of 25143 stool samples that were taken and
tested in the three hospitals for five years (2015-2019), 6,349 tested positive giving a
prevalence of 25.3%. The use of water from taps by 47.7% of the respondents was
thought to be a positive aspect in the efforts to combat E. histolytica. The main risk
factors observed were the use of river water by 29.1% of the respondents, and the
likely contamination risk of well water used by 6.4% of the respondents. Source of
water and water treatment practices were significantly associated with amoebiasis (P
= 0.000). Not washing fruits or vegetables before eating them was significantly
associated with disease (P = 0.006). In addition, patients experiencing diarrhea,
weight loss, nausea or semi-formed stool were significantly associated with
amoebiasis (P = 0.000). Based on these findings, the present study concludes that,
the prevalence of amoebiasis is high in Murang’a County and that several factors are
significantly associated with disease. The study recommends community based
health education in order to enlighten the affected population on preventive
measures for amoebiasis. Furthermore, provision of safe water to the community by
the local government will contribute significantly to disease control.
Description
A Research Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Science (Applied Parasitology) in the School of Pure and Applied Sciences of Kenyatta University October, 2024