A study was carried out in a rural area of Asir region in Southwest of Saudi Arabia where information on the types of domestic water supply and sociodemography in relation to intestinal protozoal infections were obtained from 1417 inhabitants (81.4% of the total) of nine villages. Stool samples were collected from the study population and examined for intestinal parasites. Overall, the prevalence rates of infection with the common water-borne parasites, Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica were 18.9% and 9.2% respectively, which were high compared to other endemic areas of the Kingdom. The sociodemographic factors including age, sex, degree of education, intrafamilial clustering and crowding index were found to be non significant determinants of both protozoal infections. The source of domestic water was the sole factor significantly associated with the high prevalence rates of infection in the community. This relationship was confirmed by multiple logistic regression analysis. A significantly high risk of contracting the infection with both parasites was observed among individuals who drank jar water (OR = 2.973, 95%CI:1.515-4.402 and OR = 2.831, 95%CI:1.414-3.915, for G. lamblia and E. histolytica respectively) or well water (OR = 2.153, 95%CI:1.211-3.913 and OR = 2.117, 95%CI:1.341-3.715, for G. lamblia and E. histolytica respectively). Those who used desalinated water for drinking seems to have the lowest degree of exposure to the risk of infection (OR = 0.689, 95%CI:0.501-0.849 and OR = 0.793, 95% CI:0.518-0.912, for G. lamblia and E. histolytica respectively). The results indicate that the use of improved water supply, including protection of community wells and domestic storage tanks, together with mandatory inspection measures during transportation and distribution of commercial water should reduce the rate of infection with the two protozoal parasites in this rural community.

Background: Anemia is a serious public health problem as it mainly affects children growth and development. Prevalence of anemia in rural areas is more than urban areas due to poverty and poor dietary habits. Aim of study:Detect correlation of anemia to nutritional status, socioeconomic status and parasitic infestation.Patient and methods: 200 randomly selected children for taking dietetic history, food analysis for calculation of healthy eating index (HEI) score, CBC, serum iron, ferritin, TIBC and stool analysis. Results:There is significant positive correlation between prevalence of anemia and socioeconomic status, healthy eating index-score and parasitic infestation. Conclusion:Anemia is more common in lower SES population due to poor dietary habits that lead to poor HEI score. IDA is the most common type of anemia.