Prevalence of intestinal parasitosis in children attending a public school in a suburb of the city of Asunción, Paraguay

Abstract

Introduction: parasitic diseases are widely distributed worldwide, and despite the efforts of health agencies, they continue to be a public health problem, especially in developing countries such as Paraguay. Objectives: to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitosis in children attending a public school in a suburban neighborhood of the city of Asuncion, Paraguay. Methods: descriptive cross-sectional study, in which 42 fecal samples of children aged 5 to 8 years were analyzed; collected during 2018 in a public school in Asuncion. Parasitological analysis was performed by direct examination of feces in saline solution, lugol, and concentration with Burrows' method. The absolute and relative frequency of parasites present was established. Results: the presence of commensal parasites was identified in 14,2 % of the samples, corresponding to Entamoeba coli cysts in 67 %, while the remaining 33 % corresponded to vacuolated forms of Blastocystis hominis. Conclusions: the socioeconomic conditions of the population evaluated probably do not make them so susceptible to enteroparasitosis. However, we emphasize the need to continue providing health education along with basic services for excreta disposal and periodic deworming as basic control measures in future interventions in both rural and urban populations.

Keywords

• enfermedades parasitarias
• parasitosis intestinales
• higiene
• instituciones académicas
• paraguay