Prevalence of intestinal parasites among school children of Janakpurdham, Nepal

Abstract

There is considerable variation in the findings over the years of study in the prevalence of school-aged children in different parts of Nepal. Recent progress in the living standards of the citizen may affect the prevalence of intestinal parasitosis. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of different species of gastrointestinal parasites among school children of Janakpurdham, Nepal. A prospective study was carried out by collecting 155 stool samples from 10 randomly selected schools of Janakpurdham. The samples were processed by the formal-ether sedimentation method and then examined microscopically by iodine and wet mount methods. Of the 155 students, 17(10.96%) had one or more parasites. Eight species of parasites were identified during this study, was recorded in 5 pupils representing 3.2% of the study population, followed by 3(1.9%), 2(1.3%), 2(1.3%), 2(1.3%), sp. and each recorded 1(0.6%) respectively. Relatively low prevalence of intestinal parasitosis in school children of Janakpur city still requires more aggressive interventional steps and lifestyle changes.