Control of parasitic infections among school children in the peri-urban area of Botucatu, Säo Paulo, Brazil

ABSTRACT

The prevalence of intestinal parasitosis was investigated in a primary school located in Rubiäo Júnior, a peri-urban district of Botucatu, Säo Paulo state, Brazil, in order to assess the effect of treatment and practical measures of prophylaxis in the control of parasitic infections among 7-to-18-year-old school children of a low socio-economic status. The first series of parasitological examinations included 219 school children, of which 123 (56.1 per cent) were found to be infected with one or more parasite species. Eighty-four children carrying pathogenic parasites were submitted to various anti-parasitic treatment schedules. We re-evaluated 75 (89 per cent) students after 4 to 6 months post-chemotherapy. The results indicate that the combination of treatment with prophylactic measures has been successful in the control of parasitic infections, since reinfection rates were generally low (< or = 5.3 per cent), except for Giardia lamblia infections (18.6 per cent), and a marked reduction on the prevalence rates was observed with a significant percentage of cure (> or = 73.1 per cent) in children infected with most parasite species. The reasons for the apparent failure in the control of infections caused by Hymenolepis nana and Strongyloides stercoralis are discussed.