Significant reductions in the rates of gastrointestinal tract parasitic infections in children of St. Vincent over a thirteen-year period (1979-1992) - abstract

ABSTRACT

When 314 (1979) and 207 (1992) five- to nine-year old school children in St. Vincent were investigated for the presence of parasitic infections, there were significant reductions in the prevalence of trichuriasis (75 per cent to 21.7 per cent), ascariasis (37 per cent to 8.6 per cent), amoebiasis (9 per cent to 2.8 per cent) and giardiasis (10 per cent to 5.3 per cent) over the 13-year interval. Anthelminthic use remained at 63 - 65 per cent, but the brands of worm medicines taken changed over the period. Thus, whilst piperazine citrate was used by 41 per cent of the children in 1979, only 4.8 per cent of them used it in 1992. Albendazole which was used by a great majority (42.5 per cent) in 1992 was never used in 1979. Commensals were observed in 211 (67 per cent) children in 1979, and in 83 (40 per cent) children in 1992 (AU)