Intestinal Parasitic Infections Among Patients Who Visited Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospital’s Emergency Department Over a Six-Year Period, Woldia, Ethiopia: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background Despite ongoing intensive public health intervention efforts, intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) remain a major public health problem in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Having updated epidemiological data focusing on the top common IPIs that cause emergency visits is crucial for implementing area-specific and evidence-based intervention strategies. Hence, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of IPIs in Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospital’s (WCSH) emergency laboratory over a six-year period. Methods An institutional-based retrospective study was conducted to assess the prevalence of IPIs over a six-year period (2014–2019) using a recorded saline wet-mount stool sample examination result in the laboratory logbook at WCSH’s emergency department. Results In this study, of the total of 11,281 clinically suspected individuals who were requested for stool sample examination, 3908 (34.6%) individuals were diagnosed with IPs. The majority of confirmed cases were caused by protozoan parasites (32.9%), followed by helminth infections (1.7%). A slight fluctuating trend in the prevalence of IPs was observed in the six-year study period, with the highest prevalence documented in the year of 2014 (41.3%) and the lowest in 2017 (28.0%). Entamoeba histolytica/dispar and Giardia lamblia accounts for 95% of the IPs. The prevalence of protozoan infection was significantly higher in females ( p -value = 0.0101), while H. nana ( p -value =0.0138) and E. vermicularis ( p -value = 0.0201) infections were higher in males. The highest and the lowest IP prevalence were reported in the age groups of 45–54 years (40%) and under five years (25.6%), respectively. Conclusion and Recommendations In the study area, nearly one-third of patients with emergency visits due to gastrointestinal symptoms were infected with IPs. This underlines the severity of the problem in the study area, which requires a collaborative effort of concerned bodies to minimize the burden of IP to the level where it is no longer a public health threat.

Time to death and its determinants among neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Amhara region, northeast Ethiopia: A five-year retrospective study

“…The hospital serves more than 2.5 million people in Woldia town and neighboring regions and zones. It has different types of units: such as a medical ward, maternity ward, surgical ward, pediatric ward, ophthalmic ward and outpatient department, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and other diagnostic services deliveries (24).…”

Time to recovery from neonatal sepsis and its determinants among neonates admitted in Woldia comprehensive specialized hospital, Northeast Ethiopia: a retrospective cohort study

“…A retrospective follow-up study was conducted from 7–30 March 2023 at Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (WCSH). It is located approximately 521 km and 360 km from Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar, respectively ( 20 , 21 ). There were 10 nurses, two neonatal nurses, two general practitioners, and two pediatricians who provided services for admitted neonates.…”

“…The achievement of the third Sustainable Development Goal for Child Health, which aims to eliminate preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 by 2030, heavily relies on a substantial reduction in neonatal mortality caused by infections, particularly in developing countries (19). In Ethiopia, there is limited research available on the exposure and time-to-recovery patterns of neonatal sepsis, highlighting the need for further studies in diverse geographical areas to identify the factors influencing recovery in different populations and settings (16).…”

Prevalence and Effect of Ascaris Lumbricoides, Enterobius Vermicularis and Hymenolepis Nana on the Accompanying Blood Picture in Iben Koldoon Hospital, Lahaj- Yemen

“…Intestinal parasites are considered as a major public health problem worldwide especially in developing countries [1]. Both protozoa and helminthes are two categories of pathogenic and non-pathogenic parasites that cause intestinal tract infection where, represents common intestinal parasites in tropical and subtropical areas include Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) [2]. The infections are among the most common worldwide.…”