BackgroundUnsafe drinking water, unimproved sanitation and lack of hygiene pose health risks, particularly to children in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors of intestinal parasitic infections in school-aged children in two regions of Burkina Faso.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was carried out in February 2015 with 385 children aged 8–14 years from eight randomly selected schools in the Plateau Central and Centre-Ouest regions of Burkina Faso. Stool samples were subjected to the Kato-Katz and a formalin-ether concentration method for the diagnosis of helminths and intestinal protozoa infections. Urine samples were examined with a urine filtration technique for Schistosoma haematobium eggs. Water samples from community sources (n = 37), children’s households (n = 95) and children’s drinking water cups (n = 113) were analysed for contamination with coliform bacteria and faecal streptococci. Data on individual and family-level risk factors were obtained using a questionnaire. Mixed logistic regression models were employed to determine factors associated with intestinal parasitic infections in schoolchildren.ResultsIntestinal parasitic infections were highly prevalent; 84.7 % of the children harboured intestinal protozoa, while helminth infections were diagnosed in 10.7 % of the children. We found significantly lower odds of pathogenic intestinal protozoa infection (Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar and Giardia intestinalis) among children from the Plateau Central, compared to the Centre-Ouest region (P < 0.001). Children from households with “freely roaming domestic animals” (P = 0.008), particularly dogs (P = 0.016) showed higher odds of G. intestinalis, and children reporting exposure to freshwater sources through domestic chores had higher odds of S. haematobium infection compared to children without this water contact activity (P = 0.035). Water quality, household drinking water source and storage did not emerge as significant risk factors for intestinal parasitic infections in children.ConclusionsIntestinal protozoa but not helminths were highly prevalent among schoolchildren in randomly selected schools in two regions of Burkina Faso. Our findings call for specific public health measures tailored to school-aged children and rural communities in this part of Burkina Faso. It will be interesting to assess the effect of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions on the transmission of intestinal parasitic infections.Trial registration ISRCTN17968589 (date assigned: 17 July 2015).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1835-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background: Providing universal access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in remote Nepal remains challenging. We investigated WASH conditions and their association with children's nutritional status, intestinal parasitic infections and diarrhoea. Methods: Data was collected through a cross-sectional survey of 1427 households, including questionnaires, observations, stool analysis, anthropometry, water quality measurements, and assessment of clinical signs of nutritional deficiencies. Results: We found 55.5% of children were undernourished, 63.9% had clinical signs of nutritional deficiencies, 51.1% had intestinal parasitic infections and 52.2% had diarrhoea. Multivariate mixed logistic regression analysis revealed a statistically significant negative association between undernutrition and socioeconomic level, with adjusted odds ratios (AOR) of 0.70 (95%-CI = 0.43-1.11) and 0.43 (95%-CI = 0.25-0.75) for high and intermediate levels compared to the lowest level. Undernutrition was negatively associated with regular deworming of children (AOR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.20-0.94), food supplements (AOR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.38-0.84), household's own food production (AOR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.46-0.97) and personal hygiene (AOR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.51-1.35). Nutritional deficiency was negatively associated with handwashing after cleaning a baby's bottom (AOR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.40-0.92) and cleanliness of caregiver's hands (AOR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.41-0.89) and positively associated with keeping animals inside the house overnight (AOR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.17-2.51) and the presence of total coliforms in the drinking water source (AOR = 10.44, 95% CI = 1.61-67.4). Diarrhoea was positively associated with intermittent water supply (AOR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.18-6.31) and the presence of a mud floor (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI = 1.20-4.37) and negatively associated with cleanliness of the toilet (AOR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.47-0.98), and the cleanliness of children's hands (AOR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.40-0.96).