Pattern of parasitic infections as public health problem among school children: A comparative study between rural and urban areas

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among school children in rural and urban areas of the Ibb region in Yemen. In this cross-sectional study, participants were randomly recruited from both urban and rural areas. A total of 258 stool specimens from 112 boys and 146 girls were analysed. All samples were examined using both direct and concentration methods to identify microscopically possible diagnostic stages of intestinal parasites. Of the 258 samples studied, 148 students were found to be positive for at least one parasite infection with an overall estimated prevalence of 57.4%. Of the 138 children from urban areas, 89 (64.5%) were found to be infected, whereas 59/120 (49.2%) students from rural areas were infected. The infection was statistically higher in urban areas (X2 = 6.164, P = 0.013). The infection rate was highest among the age group 10–11 years (31.8%) followed by 12–13 years (28.4%). Infection rates of 23.6% and 16.2% were recorded among 8- to 9-year-olds and 14- to 15-year-olds, respectively. The distributions of parasites among school children detected in descending order were: Entameba histolytica (33.7%), Giardia lamblia (23.6%), Ascaris lumbricoides (14.3%), Trichuris trichiura (9.3%), Hymenolepis nana (6.2%), Schistosoma mansoni (3.1%), Ancylostoma duodenale (1.2%), Enterobius vermicularis (0.8%) and Strongyloides stercoralis (0.8%). This study showed that infection by intestinal parasites is prevalent among school children and can be a crucial public health problem. This study emphasizes the need for public health interventions to tackle this problem.