Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections and Associated Risk Factors Among in Children Ilam Town, West Iran

• Published in: Pediatric infection & vaccine Vol. 30; no. 3; pp. 145 - 151
• Main Authors: Soghra Viesy, Amin Jaydari, Maryam Hataminejad, Marzieh Shadpirouz, Iman Pouladi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 대한소아감염학회 30.12.2023
• Subjects: Parasitic infections; Pediatrics; Prevalence; Risk factors
• ISSN: 2384-1079

Purpose: Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are a major health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. According to the literature, children are more likely to get infected due to more frequent exposure to sources of infection. Methods: In this study, we collected 500 fecal samples from children under 15 years of age who referred to labs in Ilam city. All samples were microscopically examined using formalin-ether concentration and Trichrome staining techniques. The results were analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Results: Among 500 investigated samples, 4 types of parasites were detected. Giardia lamblia, Entameba coli, and Blastocystis hominis were identified as intestinal protozoa, and pinworm as intestinal worm. In this study, 23 cases (4.6%) had parasitic infections. 13 patients (2.6%) were infected with Giardia parasite, 4 patients (0.8%) with E. coli, 3 patients (0.6%) with B. hominis and 3 patients (0.6%) had pinworms. Conclusions: The findings of this study showed that the prevalence of IPIs among children aged under 15 years in Ilam is relatively down, which can be attributed of sufficient information of parents and children about the modes of parasite transmission and the important role of carriers in the pathogen cycle