Prevalence of intestinal parasites among children attending outpatient department of Kanti Children’s Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal

Abstract

Intestinal parasitic infection is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries, especially among children. Even minimum infection of parasites in children may have negative effects on growth, iron deficiency anemia, perceiving function, and impaired cognition. The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites and associated factors among the children attending the Outpatient Department of Kanti Children’s Hospital, Kathmandu for various illnesses. The research was carried out from March to May 2018. A total of 300 fresh stool samples were collected in clean, dry and screw-capped plastic vials and were studied for the presence of intestinal parasites using the direct smear and concentration methods. Children or their parents were interviewed using standard questionnaires. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 25.67%. The protozoan infestation was found in 22.67% of cases, while helminthic infestation was found only in 3% of cases. No double infestation was detected. The predominant parasite was Entamoeba histolytica (14%) followed by Giardia lamblia (8. 67%). The prevalence among female (32.11%) was greater than male (21.99%). The infection was found higher in low age of children, using underground water as a source of drinking water and hardly cut their nail in a regular fashion, whereas those children followed regular hand washing habit, defecation in toilet, parent’s occupation, use of antihelminthic drugs and treatment method had low infection of intestinal parasitic infection. All these evidences have shown that there should be an effective implementation of intervention activities to control and cure the spread of parasites associated infections among children.

Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites and Associated Risk Factors among Diarrheal Patients Attending Negelle Borena General Hospital: A Case-Control Study

“…The highest infection of females by intestinal parasites found in the present study is not in agreement with the finding reported by Mohammed [21], in which intestinal parasites were more prevalent between the male patients (65.7%) than the females (57.4%). Nevertheless, this finding is in line with Acharya et al [22] whose study indicated the highest prevalence of parasitic infection in females (32.11%) as compared with the males (21.99%). Moreover, Patel et al [23] and Zemene and Shiferaw [24] reported similar results in their study with predominance of parasitic infection in females.…”

A Five-Year Retrospective Investigation of the Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites at Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia

“…Due to a lack of health, inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene practices, and poor health education, the problem of intestinal parasite infection in outpatients remains a critical public health concern because they are among the primary causes of sickness and death globally. According to current estimates, at least a quarter of the world's population is chronically infected with intestinal parasites, with the vast majority of those affected living in developing nations ( 7 – 9 ). Intestinal parasite infections are frequent in the tropics, causing severe public health issues in underdeveloped nations ( 9 ).…”

Mammalian type material from Cameroon in the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

“…Hence, they represent physical vouchers that retain the diagnostic characters underlying the description of a new taxon. In addition to being the reference for a sci-entific name, they also serve as a scientific memory for later research (Acharya and Subedi 2005).…”