Abstract
Soil-transmitted Helminth (STH) infections are one of the top causes of morbidity among primary school children. This study was aimed to assess the prevalence, infection rate, and determinants of STH infection among primary school children aged 7-10 years old in Barangay Balzain, Tuguegarao City. Thirty-two Grade 1 and 2 pupils from Balzain East Elementary School were selected through purposive random sampling. Direct fecal smear testing of stool samples elucidated the prevalence of ascariasis and trichuriasis in primary school children. Data such as socio-demographic, water source, environmental sanitation, personal hygiene and health status were collected to better understand the correlation of these factors with STH infection. STH infection was found to be more prevalent [25% (95% CI: 6.02-43.98) ] than Grade 1 pupils [16.67% (95% CI: -4.42-37.76)]. The relative prevalence rate was 21.88% (95% CI: 7.56-36.20), which has a qualitative interpretation of a good environmental sanitation behavior. Number of siblings was positively correlated (p<0.05) with STH infection. Through a multiple logistic regression analysis, it was found out that a family with one additional child increases the probability of STH infection by about a factor of 4.2192 (p<0.05). All of these findings indicate further that a good sanitation is associated with a reduced risk of transmission of STH to primary school children. Identifying factors that contribute to the dynamics of STH transmission in vulnerable groups can help to plan for effective prevention strategies.
Highlights
Soil-transmitted helminthiases are among the most common infections worldwide, and the global disease burden caused by common Soil-transmitted Helminth (STH), such as Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and Hookworm, is estimated to be about 39 million disability-adjusted life years (DALY) (WHO, 2002), which pose a serious concern
The relative prevalence rate of STH infection among the selected primary school children is 21.88%
Despite a number of limitations, the result of this study significantly revealed that a good sanitation and smaller family size were associated with a reduced risk of transmission of STH infection to humans
Summary
Soil-transmitted helminthiases are among the most common infections worldwide, and the global disease burden caused by common STHs, such as Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and Hookworm, is estimated to be about 39 million disability-adjusted life years (DALY) (WHO, 2002), which pose a serious concern. According to WHO (2013), 24% of the world’s population or roughly 1.5 billion people worldwide are infected with STH infections. A lot of factors are deemed to be contributory in the prevalence of such infection, and these factors are said to be predominant in tropical countries (WHO, 2003). The Philippines is one of the countries at risk of having a high prevalence of STH infection. One of the possible reasons that can be attributed to such is that a lot of areas in the Philippines are prone to flooding.
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