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Abstract
In Egypt, P.Is continue to be major public health problem especially among children. Although mortality from such infections is low, yet it leads to malnutrition and impairment in physical and mental development and causes economic and social deprivation. School pupils represent an important group which is vulnerable for P.Is. Their increased activities, their lack of self control, and their poor hygienic habits make them the most exposed group to P.Is
The present work was carried out to estimate the trend and pattern of P.Is among primary school pupils in rural area and finding an association between the pattern of parasitic infection and pupil’s characteristics
Two primary school were randomly selected in Defsho region , a rural area in Elbehera Governorate. All pupils (no=1985) were included in the study. The trend of P.Is was studied in the last five years (2005-2009). In the last year, 2009, 100 pupils with P.Is was compared to anther 100 pupils with no P.Is as a control group (as regard fathers’ and mothers’ occupation and education and family size) to get the pattern after they were matched in age and sex.
The results obtained are summarized in the following:
Out of 1985 school pupils, 1421 (71.6%) were positive for P.Is. Neither T. trichiura nor Taenia spp and S. haematobium were detected among the studied sample.
A single parasite was encountered among 56.7% of pupils, while the percentage of pupils infected by two parasites were 14.5%, only 0.4 of pupils were infected by three parasites.
The most common helminthes identified were; E.vermicularis 20.9%, A. lumbricoides 19.7% and S. mansoni 10.9%. whereas the highest among protozoa infection was that of E. histolytica cyst 21.6% followed by G. lamblia 9.2%.
Infections with directly transmitted parasites were more common, E.histolytica was the commonest protozoa 21.6%, and E.vermicularis 20.9% was the commonest among helminthes.
A gradual decline of the frequency of P.Is was observed through the period of the study. The highest percentage was in the year of 2005 (76.6%) followed by 2006 (76%), 2007 (71.5%) then 2008 (68.5%) and finally 2009 (64.5%). Still the prevalence during 2009 was considered high.
The largest number of pupils positive to P.Is was in the 4th grade, followed by 1st grade, 6th grade, 2nd and the third one. The lowest number was in the 5th grade
The only parasites that showed annual increase were H. nana and E.hist. trophozoite. The only parasite that showed initial decline then increased was E. vermicularis. The parasites that showed initial increase then declined were A. lumbricoides and E. histolytica cyst. Parasites that showed decline were S. mansoni, Anclystoma, Fasciola and G.lamblia.
Prevalence rate of P.Is was higher among males (55.1%) than females (44.9%).
The median age of all pupils positive for E. vermicularis, S.mansoni and Fasciola is a statistically significant younger than that of their negative counterparts. Similarly, the median age of pupils positive to H. nana and E. hist. trophzoite were younger than that of their negative counterparts but not statistically significant. The median age of pupils either positive or negative to the rest of types of P.Is were equal.
Low socio-economic level in relation to parent’s education, occupation and family size is a risk factor associated to P.Is.