Intestinal Parasitic Infestation in School Going Children of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Background: Intestinal parasitism(IP) remains a common problem in school going children. Aims & Objectives: To study the prevalence IP infestation in school going children and to study the relation with type of water supply and sanitation. Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out and a total of 461 stool samples were collected from children under ten years of age from various schools of Rishikesh. The normal saline and iodine mounts of fresh and saturated salt solution concentrated samples were examined. Modified Ziehl Neelsen staining was done for detection of coccidian parasites. The statistical significance within gender, age, drinking water supply, sanitation and other socio-demographic parameters was assessed by Chi-square test. Results: 112 (24.3%) out of 461 were positive for intestinal parasites. Giardia lamblia was the commonest parasite (15.2%) followed by Hymenolepis nana (2.38%), Hookworm (2.17%), Enterobius vermicularis (2.17%), Entamoeba histolytica (2.17%), Ascaris lumbricoides (0.86%), and Cryptosporidium parvum (0.86%). Conclusions: Due to lack of proper sanitation & education along with low socioeconomic background, IP infections are still prevalent among school children. Regular awareness program on promoting good health, maintenance of proper personal hygiene and carrying out regular deworming in schools should be instituted for control.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Soil-Transmitted Helminthic Infections in the Pediatric Population in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…54 In a systematic review published in 2016, the prevalence of AL, Ancylostoma duodenale and TT in 18 selected studies in India was in range between 0.4 and 71.87%, 0.14 and 42%, and 0.3 and 29.57%, respectively. 55 In our study, the prevalence of AL ranged from 0.8 18 to 91% 11 with a pooled prevalence of 25%. For TT, the prevalence ranged from 0.3 12 to 72% 11 with a pooled prevalence of 13%.…”

“…Though previous studies reported association of multiple risk factors with STH and other parasitic infections, data specific to our inclusion criteria is shown here. The more commonly studied risk factors included gender (10 articles), 10,13,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] place of defecation whether in open or sanitary latrines (7 articles), 10,13,[15][16][17]23,24 hand washing after defecation with water only or soap and water (6 articles), 10,13,[15][16][17]23 socioeconomic status (SES) upper and middle versus lower (4 articles), 10,13,19,24 mother's education (4 articles), 10,13,16,19 barefoot walking (4 articles), 13,17,19,24 recent deworming(4 articles), 10,13,17,19 hygiene of finger nails (3 articles), 13,19,24 flooring earthen or cemented (3 articles), 10,13,15 religion (3 articles), …”

Knowledge and Practices regarding Personal Hygiene in School Going Children of Uttarakhand

“…Billions of people are affected globally, majority being school going children. Around 600 million school-age children live in areas where these parasites are endemic (Bansal et al, 2018) . Worm infestations have a close relationship with the socio-demographic and ecological factors like poverty, illiteracy, poor personal and environmental hygiene.…”