Base Line Health Survey and Prevalence of Intestinal Parasities Among the Children in Kanti Children’s Hospital, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu Nepal

Abstract

The present study was carried out with prepared questionnaires to determine knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding intestinal parasites in children’s of age group 0-14 years from two seasons.Altogether 328 stool samples of different age group of children were collected. In this present study children suffered from eight different kinds of intestinal parasites.Giardia lamblia(14.32%) was the most commonly found as protozoan parasite followed byE. histolytica(8.84%) and Ascaris lumbricoides(9.14%) was as helminth parasites followed byA. doudenale(1.82%), T. trichiura(0.91%),S. stercoralis (1.52%)H.nana(0.60%),E.vermicularis(0.30%) The prevalence rate of intestinal parasite infection in male (38.76%) was found to be slightly higher than female (36.00%) without statistically significant (χ²cal= 0.24.χ²cal<χ²0.05 at 1 d.f.). Positivity of the intestinal parasitic infection is dependent on age factors (χ²cal = 18.88, χ²cal> χ²0.05 at 4 d.f.). Hence the highest prevalence was found in 9-11 (56.92%) years age group where asthe minimum prevalence observed in children of age group 0-2 (23.68%)years. Out of 123 positive samples, 91.86% showed single infection,7.31% showed double infection and 0.81% showed multiple infection.The prevalence of intestinal parasites was found highest in those children who used to drink water without any treatment, cutting nail habit, with open air defecation practice having non-vegetarian feeding habit and lack of awareness.