Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Intestinal Parasites among Children under Five Years of Age Attended at Bachuma Primary Hospital, West Omo Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background. In regions of the world with low resources, such as Ethiopia, intestinal parasite diseases are still highly prevalent, especially in children. Poor personal and environmental hygiene, as well as unsafe and low-quality drinking water, are the main causes of this. This investigation aimed to determine the frequency of intestinal parasites and risk factors among children under 5 years age at Bachuma Primary Hospital in 2022. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from October 2022 to December 2022 at Bachuma Primary Hospital, West Omo Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. Stool sample was collected from randomly selected children who were ordered to have their stool examined at the hospital laboratory and wet mount was prepared using normal saline to detect the different stage of intestinal parasites microscopically. Moreover, data related to the sociodemographic and associated risk factors was collected using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were computed to describe the characteristics of the study participants and determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites. Data were entered into Epi-data manager and analysed using statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS) version 25.0, respectively. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed, with variables with a p value of <0.05 considered statistically significant. Result: Infection with at least one intestinal parasite among children was 29.4% (95% CI: 24.5–34.7). Ascaris lumbricoide and Giardia lamblia were responsible for 8% (26/323) and 4% (13/323) of the prevalence of helminth and protozoans, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that children whose residence was rural had an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 5.048 ( p = 0.001 ), those who did not wash their hands before meals had an AOR of 7.749 ( p = 0.001 ), a child with not trimmed fingernails had an AOR of 2.752 ( p = 0.010 ), a child who frequently experienced stomach pain and whose source of water was pond had an AOR of 2.415 ( p = 0.028 ) and 3.796 ( p = 0.040 ), respectively. Conclusion. In this study, the prevalence of intestinal parasites recorded was low. Rural residency, absence of child hand washing practice before meal, and not trimming fingernail were among factors significantly associated with intestinal parasite infection.

Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections among Children Attending Some Schools in Amran Governorate, Yemen

“…The rate of parasite infection in this study was higher among people who consumed unwashed fruits and vegetables. These results are in consonance with earlier reports showing that eating unwashed vegetables was signi cantly associated with protozoa infection among examined children [3,21]. Furthermore, a signi cant increase in intestinal infection was observed in the current study among participants who didn't wash their hands after defecation and trimmed their nails, which was consistent with the results previously reported elsewhere [21,32].…”

“…These results are in consonance with earlier reports showing that eating unwashed vegetables was signi cantly associated with protozoa infection among examined children [3,21]. Furthermore, a signi cant increase in intestinal infection was observed in the current study among participants who didn't wash their hands after defecation and trimmed their nails, which was consistent with the results previously reported elsewhere [21,32]. This could be attributed to the lack of removal of accumulated dirt containing parasite eggs in ngernails, which could serve as a source of infection [33].…”

“…Moreover, this nding is reported lower in different countries: 29.4% in Ethiopia [21], 46.2% in Egypt [3], 15% in Ghana [22], and 5.3% in Saudi Arabia [23].…”

“…The source of drinking water appeared to play a great role in increasing the chance of getting an intestinal parasite infection; hence, children who used water from the pond accounted for a relatively high number of positive cases. This might be due to the contamination of water and food with human waste during open-eld defecation [21].…”

Prevalence of Protozoan Pathogens Among Diarrheic Children Under 5 Years in Public Hospital of Ethiopia During the Global COVID 19 Pandemic

“…The estimated prevalence of G. lamblia in the present study was 3.6%. This is at the same level as a study conducted in West Omo Zone, Ethiopia, 24 but lower than the findings in other studies conducted in Ethiopia; Bahir Dar, 19 Gondar, 18 and Debre Birhan 20 ; and in Mozambique. 21 The variation in the prevalence of the protozoa among the different studies might be attributed to differences in geographical location, study period, study design, sample size, differences in method of stool examination and also the cases referral system in the health sector.…”