Abstract: Background: Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) remain a leading cause of morbidity among school-aged children in sub-Saharan Africa. Rwanda has implemented national mass drug administration (MDA) programmes, yet persistent hotspots remain. Mudende Sector, Rubavu District a high-altitude, predominantly rural area bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo with documented WASH infrastructure deficits has never been characterised by sector-specific STH data. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, infection intensity, and independent risk factors for STH infection among school-aged children in this setting.
Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted using secondary data from a community survey carried out by the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) in 2023. All 1,093 school-aged children (aged 5–14 years) with complete stool examination results and household WASH data were included. Infection was diagnosed using the duplicate Kato-Katz technique; intensity was classified per WHO criteria. Bivariate chi-square analysis and multivariate logistic regression identified independent predictors of STH infection (significance threshold p < 0.05).
Results: Overall STH prevalence was 95.3% (n = 1,042). Ascaris lumbricoides (86.0%) and Trichuris trichiura (85.9%) were the predominant species; hookworm was rare (0.5%). Dual Ascaris–Trichuris co-infections affected 76.7% of children. Moderate-intensity infections predominated for both Ascaris (85.1%) and Trichuris (83.4%). In multivariate analysis, only two variables independently predicted infection: absence of a household handwashing facility (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 6.57; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.77–19.8; p = 0.002) and reliance on unimproved water sources (aOR = 3.20; 95% CI: 1.23–7.32; p = 0.009). Gender, age, parental education and literacy, religion, latrine cleanliness, and knowledge-attitude-practice scores were not independently significant.
Conclusions: STH infections are hyper-endemic in Mudende Sector a prevalence that has not declined despite years of national MDA and are driven entirely by structural deficits in WASH infrastructure rather than individual behavioral or demographic factors. High STH knowledge coexisting with near-universal infection demonstrates that awareness cannot substitute for physical infrastructure in hyper-endemic settings. Mudende Sector should be formally designated a priority hotspot within Rwanda's national NTD control programme, with deworming frequency increased to at least three rounds per year and investment in household handwashing facilities and safe water access accelerated through multi-sectoral collaboration.
Keywords: soil-transmitted helminths; Ascaris lumbricoides; Trichuris trichiura; Rwanda; school-aged children; WASH; handwashing; hyper-endemic; Kato-Katz; neglected tropical diseases.
Title: Prevalence, Intensity and Factors Associated with Soil Transmitted Helminths among School Aged Children in Mudende Sector, Rubavu District, 2023
Author: Uwayezu Leonard, Amanuel Kidane Andegiorgish
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
Vol. 14, Issue 1, April 2026 - September 2026
Page No: 153-163
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 01-June-2026
