Targeting newly enrolled low-age school children for the control of the intestinal helminth infection in rural Nepal

Trop Doct. 2006 Jan;36(1):16-9. doi: 10.1258/004947506775598680.

Abstract

This study aims to identify an effective intervention group for the control of the intestinal helminth infection among school-age children in rural Nepal. We examined 1677 stool samples of school-age children from 25 schools and 1014 samples from 25 communities in rural Nepal. We used formalin-ether sedimentation technique for the microscopic examination of the stool samples and identified three major intestinal helminths: Ascariasis lumbricoides, hookworm and Trichuris trichiura. Our results revealed that the newly enrolled under-6-year-old children at the schools were more widely infected with at least one of the three major helminths than those in the communities (odds ratio [OR] 2.29). We detected a significant difference in the prevalence of A. lumbricoides (OR 1.70), hookworm (OR 2.57) and T.trichiura (OR 3.23) between under-6-year-old children at the schools and those at the communities. The study results suggest that an appropriate deworming programme is needed for the newly enrolled under-6-year-old children in the primary schools in Nepal.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Distribution
  • Ancylostomatoidea / isolation & purification
  • Animals
  • Ascariasis / epidemiology
  • Ascariasis / parasitology
  • Ascariasis / prevention & control*
  • Ascaris lumbricoides / isolation & purification
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Feces / parasitology
  • Female
  • Hookworm Infections / epidemiology
  • Hookworm Infections / parasitology
  • Hookworm Infections / prevention & control*
  • Humans
  • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / epidemiology
  • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / parasitology
  • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / prevention & control*
  • Male
  • Nepal / epidemiology
  • Prevalence
  • Rural Population*
  • Trichuriasis / epidemiology
  • Trichuriasis / parasitology
  • Trichuriasis / prevention & control*
  • Trichuris / isolation & purification