Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Intestinal Parasites among Schoolchildren from Two Primary Schools in Rama Town, Northern Ethiopia
Joint Authors
Yeshitila, Yordanos Gizachew
Zewde, Hagos
Mekene, Tesfahun
Manilal, Aseer
Lakew, Serawit
Teshome, Abinet
Source
Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology
Issue
Vol. 2020, Issue 2020 (31 Dec. 2020), pp.1-8, 8 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2020-08-25
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
8
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Introduction.
Worldwide, about 3.5 billion people are affected by intestinal parasitic infections, and the majority of them are children.
A perusal of the literature indicates that in Ethiopia, nearly one-third of schoolchildren are found to be infected by some sort of intestinal parasites.
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites among schoolchildren in Rama town in Northern Ethiopia.
Methods.
A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among primary school children from two schools in Rama town during June 2017.
A structured questionnaire was used to identify environmental, sociodemographic, and behavioral factors while stool specimens were collected and examined for parasites using direct wet smear with saline preparation.
Data analysis was completed using the Statistical Program for Social Sciences version 24 statistical software.
Results.
A total of 312 school children with a mean age of 11.3 years were included.
Among them, 24.4% (76) were found to be positive for at least one of the parasites.
The overall infection rate was the highest among the 10–14 age groups (26.7%).
Females were predominantly infected (26.7%).
Altogether, eight species of intestinal parasites were identified.
The most predominant protozoan and helminths were E.
histolytica/dispar (10.9%) and Schistosoma mansoni (7.4%), respectively, and infections were mostly mono-parasitic.
Coinfections with two and three intestinal parasites were identified among 13 (4.2%, [13/302]) and 2 (0.6%, [2/302]) cases, respectively.
Prevalence of intestinal parasites was higher among children who did not wash their hands regularly before meals (AOR: 2.30, CI: 1.32, 4.0, p < 0.001) and those who frequently swam in streams (AOR: 3.12, CI: 1.07, 9.08, p < 0.021).
Conclusions.
The study revealed a high prevalence of parasitic infection and inadequate personal hygiene practices like poor handwashing and also the habit of swimming by schoolchildren in contaminated water bodies, especially the study area.
To minimize the burden caused by parasitic infection, periodic deworming programs and health education should be provided to enhance the awareness of concerned participants are also warranted.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Yeshitila, Yordanos Gizachew& Zewde, Hagos& Mekene, Tesfahun& Manilal, Aseer& Lakew, Serawit& Teshome, Abinet. 2020. Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Intestinal Parasites among Schoolchildren from Two Primary Schools in Rama Town, Northern Ethiopia. Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology،Vol. 2020, no. 2020, pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1139147
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Yeshitila, Yordanos Gizachew…[et al.]. Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Intestinal Parasites among Schoolchildren from Two Primary Schools in Rama Town, Northern Ethiopia. Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology No. 2020 (2020), pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1139147
American Medical Association (AMA)
Yeshitila, Yordanos Gizachew& Zewde, Hagos& Mekene, Tesfahun& Manilal, Aseer& Lakew, Serawit& Teshome, Abinet. Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Intestinal Parasites among Schoolchildren from Two Primary Schools in Rama Town, Northern Ethiopia. Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology. 2020. Vol. 2020, no. 2020, pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1139147
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1139147