Association between water, sanitation, and hygiene access and the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth and schistosome infections in Wolayita, Ethiopia

Abstract

The principal finding of this study is that lack of access to WaSH, such as improved drinking water and shared toilet and hand-washing facilities, were linked to an increased risk of infection with STH and schistosome parasites. These associations are difficult to establish at an individual household level because of wide variability in access between houses but are detectable when coverage is aggregated at the community level. Maintenance of WaSH facilities as well as increased access within the whole community is important in influencing the community-wide prevalence of infection with STH and schistosome parasites.