PREVALENCE OF GASTROINTESTINAL PARASITES AND ITS PREDICTORS AMONG RURAL EGYPTIAN SCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

The development of suitable control measures for various intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) requests essential epidemiological information on their prevalence. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of IPIs among school children living in a rural setting in Upper Egypt and to identify the associated risk factors to these infections. A Descriptive crosssectional study included 630 randomly selected students enrolled in primary and preparatory schools aged from 6 to 17 years old from rural Assiut Governorate. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire. A laboratory stool examination was performed. The overall prevalence of IPIs was 56.3 %. The parasites were Ascaris lumbricoides (11.4%), Giardia lamblia (10.0%), Entamoeba coli (9.7%), Ancylostoma duodenal (8.7%), Entamoeba histolytica/ dispar (8.1%), Cryptosporidium parvum (3.3%), Blastocystis hominis (2.4%), Enterobius vermicularis (1.7%) and Hymenolepis nana (1.1%). A single parasite was in 64.8% of children. 23.1% & 12.1% had double and multiple parasites respectively.