Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites among Children Referred to Abozar Hospital in Ahvaz

Background and Objective: For a long time, intestinal parasite infections are the major public health problem. The main reason for this affair is due to differences in geographical conditions and existence of different parasites. Therefore awareness about the parasitic prevalence in our area is an importance public health matter. Subjects and Methods: In current cross-section study 300 stool samples were collected from children  patient less than 15 years, who were referred to Abozar hospital in Ahvaz. The samples were investigated by direct smear and formalin-ethyl acetate concentration technique. Results: Overall intestinal parasite prevalence was 5%. The identified pathogenic parasites frequencies were Giardia lamblia 1% and Entamoeba histolytica/dispar 1%.  The common non-pathogenic protozoa were Entomoeba coli 1.3% and Blastocystis hominis 1.7%. Conclusion: It seems prevalence of parasitic infections has been decreased considerably during recent years. However present study showed that protozoa infection especially by Giardia lamblia is still the main important parasitic infection and is a public health problem in Khuzestan region.