Frequency of intestinal parasites among food-handlers in Khartoum, Sudan

Food-handlers [n = 1500] attending the public health laboratory in Khartoum, Sudan, for annual check-ups were screened for intestinal parasites by 3 different techniques [direct faecal examination, formol-ether concentration and floatation] to evaluate the adequacy of annual screening. Results showed that 29.4% of food-handlers were harbouring intestinal protozoa in stool samples: Entamoeba coli in 15.3%, Giardia lamblia in 9.7%, and Enta. histolytica in 4.3%. Moreover, 2.7% of food-handlers harboured intestinal helminths: Hymenolepis nana [1.6%], Schistosoma mansoni [0.7%], Taenia saginata [0.3%] and Strongyloides stercoralis [0.1%]. We recommend more frequent screening of food-handlers and that the direct faecal smear technique is efficient for the detection of such parasites

Economic cost of malaria on households during a transmission season in Khartoum State, Sudan

This study was conducted in 2004 among 1200 households in Khartoum to estimate the direct and indirect economic costs of malaria for households. Information on the household and the malaria episodes was collected [care-seeking behaviour, working days lost and expenditure on malaria treatment]. There were 327 episodes of malaria; 25.2% of the households reported at least 1 malaria episode during the month preceding the survey. In only 18.0% of malaria episodes was the individual economically active. The average treatment expenditure per fully cured case was US$ 6.3 [SD 5.9]. The average indirect cost per fully cured case was US$ 3.2 [SD 9.2]; it was higher for individuals working in the informal sector than those employed in the formal sector