Elimination of morbidity due to soil-transmitted helminthiases among Afghan schoolchildren

Safi, Naimullah; Warusavithana, Supriya; Alawi, Sayed Ali Shah; Atta, Hoda; Montresor, Antonio; Gabrielli, Albis Francesco

doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.05.026

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…We detected six different taxonomic units of parasites in the examined stool samples in the current report. The most common parasitic eggs in the samples were A. lumbricoides in 13.8%, which corresponds to the results of Safi et al [26] in Afghanistan and Hassan et al in Malaysia [27]. Protozoal cysts G. duodenalis, which are the most common cause of diarrheal disease in some countries [28], were detected microscopically in 6.3% of stool samples we examined.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…This indicates that the epidemiological situation regarding parasitic infections has not improved significantly in Roma settlements of Slovakia over the last decade, despite a number of state intervention programs to increase hygiene coverage and infrastructure in marginalized communities. Safi et al [26] reached similar findings in a survey on stool samples from Afghan compulsory school children, which revealed the presence of parasitic developmental stages in a 26.6% prevalence. A much higher prevalence was found, e.g., in Malaysia, where up to 56.3% of examined children under the age of 18 were positive for parasitic infections [27].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

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Neglected Diseases—Parasitic Infections among Slovakian Children from Different Populations and Genotypes of Giardia duodenalis

et al. 2022

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Children are most prone to parasitic infections. The objectives of the study were to examine the occurrence of parasitic infections in children from different populations and to perform molecular characterization of human Giardia duodenalis isolates. We examined 631 stool samples from Roma and non-Roma children for the presence of parasitic developmental stages. Samples were collected from three eastern Slovakia districts. The ages of the children ranged from 1 months to 17 years. Subsequently, the molecular characterization of human G. duodenalis isolates by PCR detected triosephosphate isomerase (tpi) and beta-giardin (bg) genes was performed. The overall prevalence of parasitic infection was 19.8%. Ascaris lumbricoides eggs were the most frequent, with an occurrence of about 13.8%. G. duodenalis cysts were present in 6.3% of samples. G. duodenalis isolates obtained from 13 children were subjected to DNA sequencing with tpi and bg genes. Five isolates were categorized as bearing subassemblage BIII, the three isolates as subassemblage BIV, one person was infected with a mixture of subassemblages BIII and BIV, four children had subassemblage AII, and one isolate revealed a structure corresponding with subassemblage AI. Our work is proof that poverty and poor hygiene contribute the most to public health problems associated with neglected parasitic diseases.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Neglected Diseases—Parasitic Infections among Slovakian Children from Different Populations and Genotypes of Giardia duodenalis

et al. 2022

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“…In conclusion, the present study showed that the STH epidemiological situation in Bhutan with an initially high STH endemicity and after establishing a successful STH control programme, infection saw decline. A similar decline has been observed in several other countries like Sri Lanka [32], Nepal [20], Afghanistan [33], Vietnam [34], Myanmar [35] and Lao PDR [36]. WHO estimated that preventive chemotherapy intervention will globally avert in children over 900000 Disability Adjusted Life Years(DALYs) in 2020 [37].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 57%

Soil-Transmitted Helminth infections reduction in Bhutan: A report of 29 years of deworming

et al. 2020

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Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH) infections affect over 1.5 billion people worldwide. Although prevalent in all age groups, school aged children are a high-risk groups for STH infections. In Bhutan, epidemiological data on STH were collected from western Bhutan in 2003, which found a prevalence of 16.5%. However, little evidence is available on the prevalence of infection at national level. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim to assess the prevalence and intensity of STH infections, and identify significant correlates of STH among students. A school-based survey was conducted in three regions of Bhutan. Two-stage cluster sampling was adopted to select a sample of 1500 students from 24 schools, in equal proportion from three regions of the country. A total of 1456 (97%) students were interviewed and their stool sample examined for the presence of parasites. Mini-FLO-TAC technique was used to detect the parasite eggs/ova. The prevalence of any STH infection was 1.4%, with 0.8% Ascaris lumbricoides, 0.5% Trichuris trichiura and 0.2% hookworms. The eastern region had the highest prevalence at 2.3%. Except for one student who had moderate intensity of A. lumbricoides, the rest had light infection. Any STH presence was significantly associated with father's occupation, father's education level, type of house and the flooring of the house in which students reported to live. No significant associations were observed between water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) variables measured and presence of any STH infection. The prevalence of STH was found to be very low with primarily light intensity in this study. Nonetheless, it was also found that the sanitation situation is not ideal in the country, with several students reporting constant or partial open defecation leading to environmental contamination. Based on this prevalence and in line with the WHO guideline, it is recommended that deworming be reduced to once a year in combination with concerted health education on proper hygiene and sanitation practice.

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“…In 2003, a study conducted among school children of Kabul, Nangarhar, Farah, and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan revealed that the most prevalent STH was A. lumbricoides with the prevalence of 41% (408/1001) in the school children of these four provinces of Afghanistan [ 18 ]. In 2017, another study conducted in Kabul, Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan showed that the most prevalent STH infection was the one with A. lumbricoides (25.7%) [ 19 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2017, a follow-up survey was conducted among school children aged 8–10 years to provide an update on STH epidemiology in Kabul, Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar, and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan. In this survey, 26.6% of the children had at least one STH infection, with predominance of A. lumbricoides (25.7%) [ 19 ].In another hospital-based study in Afghanistan, 548 fecal samples were collected from the patients (both children and adults) with internal complaints who were admitted in two hospitals of Ghazni and Parwan provinces. Intestinal helminths were present in 144/386 (37.3%) of patients from Ghazni and Parwan provinces, respectively [ 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and associated risk factors of soil-transmitted helminth infections in Kandahar, Afghanistan

et al. 2022

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Background Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are still a major health problem, especially in resource-limited countries. The community-based prevalence of STH is unknown in Afghanistan. Main objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence and associated factors of STH among children in Daman district of Kandahar province in Afghanistan. Methods This was a community-based cross-sectional study, with data collected during five months (June–October, 2020) from children living in five villages of Daman district in Kandahar, Afghanistan. All the stool samples were examined by saline wet mount method. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Chi square test, and multivariate logistic regression. Results A total of 1426 children were studied, with majority (61.8%) of males and the mean age of 6.3 years. The overall prevalence of any intestinal parasitic infection was 39.8%. The overall prevalence of STH infection was 22.7%, with Ascaris lumbricoides (18.7%) as the most prevalent STH species, followed by hookworm (7.5%) and Trichuris trichiura (1.4%). Single, double, and triple STH infections were present in 14.9%, 7.2%, and 0.6% of the children, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that not washing hands after defecating/before eating (AOR 7.0, 95% CI 3.4–14.0), living in mud house (AOR 3.5, 95% CI 1.6–7.4), walking barefoot (AOR 2.2, 95% CI 1.6–3.1), living in overcrowded house (AOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1–2.3), and practicing open defecation (AOR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1–2.0) as the risk factors associated with the predisposition of rural children for getting STH in Daman district of Afghanistan. Conclusions Prevalence of STH is high among children of Daman district in Afghanistan. Most of the risk factors are related to poverty, decreased sanitation, and improper hygiene. Improvement of socioeconomic status, sanitation, and health education to promote public awareness about health and hygiene together with periodic mass deworming programs are better strategies for the control of STH infections in Afghanistan. Also, government and international donor agencies in Afghanistan should help in improving socio-economic status of the rural areas through provision of basic facilities such as piped water, electricity, good housing, and proper toilets.

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Elimination of morbidity due to soil-transmitted helminthiases among Afghan schoolchildren

Cited by 6 publications

References 16 publications

Neglected Diseases—Parasitic Infections among Slovakian Children from Different Populations and Genotypes of Giardia duodenalis

Neglected Diseases—Parasitic Infections among Slovakian Children from Different Populations and Genotypes of Giardia duodenalis

Soil-Transmitted Helminth infections reduction in Bhutan: A report of 29 years of deworming

Prevalence and associated risk factors of soil-transmitted helminth infections in Kandahar, Afghanistan

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