Prevalence of intestinal parasites among school children in gaza city, gaza strip

ABSTRACT

A total of 489 stool specimens was collected from school children aged six to eleven years. The target area was overcrowded with improper sewage disposal system and low socioeconomic standards. A questionnaire was designed to include relevant information. Each stool specimen was processed by the direct smear microscopy, zinc sulfate flotation technique and formol-ether sedimentation technique. This study revealed an overall prevalence at 27.6%. Six parasites were detected. Giardia lamblia [62.2%] was the most frequent species, followed by Ascaris lumbricoides [20.1%] then Entamoeba histolytica [13.3%]. The prevalence of these parasites was found to be related to age, socioeconomic and sanitation conditions. Most of the other parasitic infections were of mild intensity. There was an urgent need to correct the situation by improving the living conditions, providing facilities for the population such as modern housing, proper sewage disposal system, health education and execution of survey programs for parasites to treat the infected persons