Browsing by Author "Teshome, Genene"
Item Infection Rate of Intestinal Parasites Among Children Under Five Years of Age in Addis Ketema Sub-City Health Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia(Addis Ababa University, 2018-08-08) Teshome, Genene; Adamu, Haileeyesus (PhD)Background: Intestinal Parasites which consist of protozoa and helminths mostly infect gastro-intestinal tract of humans. Infections are widely distributed in tropical and sub-tropical area with greatest number of occurrence in sub-sahara Africa, China and Asia. In Ethiopia high infection rate of intestinal parasites is attributing to factors associated with low socio-economic status such as, poor personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, and low household income, poor access to health services, overcrowding and lack of clean water supplies. Objective: to assess the major intestinal parasite species and determine their Infection rate in children less than five years of age in Addis Ketema Sub-City Health Canter, Addis Ababa during Sept. 2017-May. 2018. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted on major intestinal parasite species in children under-five years of age in Addis Ketema Sub-City Health Canter during Sept. 2017- May 2018. Stool samples (n=384) were collected, 45.8% from males and 54.2% from females and examined for intestinal parasites using wet mount and formol-ether concentration methods. In addition, a total of 384 parents and caregiver of under-five children were interviewed regarding their Knowledge, attitude and practice about intestinal parasitic infections. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 statistical software and P values were used to check the presence of association between dependent and independent variables. P<0.05 was considered as statistically significant association. Results: It was found that 39.2% male and 36.1% female children were infected with intestinal parasites. Thus, the overall prevalence of infections with different types of intestinal parasites was 37.5%. The rate of protozoan parasite includes Entamoeba histolytica, 13.5%, and Giardia lamblia, 10.2%., Similarly, the rate of helminthic parasite infections includes Ascaris lumbricoides, 7%, Trichuris trichuira, 4.7%, and Hymenolepis nana, 2.1. The Infection rate of intestinal parasitic infections was significantly associated with some of risk factors such as hand washing habits, eat properly washed fruit and cooked vegetables ( p=0.001, P=0.013 respectively). Conclusion and recommendations: intestinal parasitic infections represent a public health problem in children less than five years in Addis ketema sub city. The main factors that were associated with intestinal parasitic infections were poor hand washing practice, consumption of unwashed fruits and raw vegetables and finger nail cleanness (p<0.05). This suggested that personal hygiene, environmental sanitation and health education are needed to reduce the infection rate of human intestinal parasitic infections among children in the study area.