PREVALENCE AND INTENSITY OF INTESTINAL PROTOZOAN AND HELMINTH INFECTIONS AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS WITH ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN CHAGNI TOWN, AMHARA REGIONAL STA

Intestinal protozoan and helminth infections are the major public health problems in many developing countries including Ethiopia. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence and intensity of intestinal protozoan and helminth infections in school children and their associations with anthropometric measurement. A cross-sectional study was carried out and 393 school children were chosen using stratified random sampling technique and enrolled in the present study. Structured and pre-tested questionnaires were administered in both English and Amharic to gather relevant information on demographic and risk factors that predispose for intestinal parasitic infections. Stool samples were collected for microscopic examinations using direct wet mount, Formol-ether concentration method, Kato-Katz and modified Ziehl Nielsen staining technique. Anthropometry calculating software, anthroplus version 3.1 was employed to evaluate anthropometric parameters (age, sex, height and weight). Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software version 20.0. The overall prevalence of intestinal protozoan and helimnth infections in the study area was 47.6% and 20.9%, respectively. The prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides, Schistosoma mansoni, Taenia species, Cryptosporidium species, Hymenolepsis nana ,Hookworm, Entameoba histolytica/dispar and Giardia lamblia were 5.3%, 8.7%, 1.8%, 2.3%, 2.5%,2.3%,25.9% and 19.2%, respectively. Intensity of Ascaris lumbricoides, Schistosoma mansoni and hook worm ranged from 0-2880, 0-792 and 0-720 per gram of feces, respectively. Mean egg count for Ascaris lumbricoides, Schistosoma mansoni and hookworm infections were 744±346.5, 252±64.4, and 270±70.4, respectively. Malnutrition in terms of underweight, stunting and wasting was seen in 38.7%, 36.9% and 30.9% of the samples, respectively. The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was lower in underweighted (38.7%) students than Wasted (30.9%) and stunted (36.9%) students. Intestinal helminth and protozoan parasitic infections were the major problem in Chagni town due to prevailing risk factors. Coordinated work between health officers and school community was required on the prevention of helminth and protozoan infections.