Parasitic [helminthic] infection among Babil school children at Menofia governorate

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out at Babil Primary Schools. The target sample was composed of 800 males and 600 females. Their ages ranged from 6-12 years. The results showed that 25.5% of total sample were suffering from parasitism. The most prevalent parasites were Schistosoma hematobium [10.1%], followed by Ascaris lumbricoides [6.9%]. Schistosoma mansoni [4.5%] Enterobius vermicularis [3.3%], the last parasite detected was Hymenolepis nana [2.4%]. It was observed that there is a significant difference between infection rate among high and low social classes also between infected and non infected groups regarding to personal habits and environmental conditions. Evaluation of the nutritional status of the children cleared that there is observable growth retardation among the infected group. Socio-economic development, environmental sanitation, health education, active participation of school authorities for early diagnosis and treatment of parasitism are highly recommended