Intestinal parasitism in children assisting day care centers of one popular council. Matanzas. 2014-2015

Abstract

Introduction: the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in children has not changed in Cuba in the last years in spite of the efforts made by the National Public Health System.

Objective: to determine the prevalence of the intestinal parasitic infections and to identify the factors associated to them in the day care centers of the Popular Council Matanzas.

Material and methods: a cross-sectional, analytical study was carried out in the period from October 2014 till April 2015 in children assisting those day care centers. The sample was chosen by a systematic sampling. Information was gathered through a structured interview and two stool samples were collected after a day. Each stool sample was processed using two different stool parasitological methods. Socio-demographic variables and hygienic-sanitary factors were studied. Odds ratio, relative and absolute frequencies were calculated during statistic processing. A bivariate analysis was made and the main possible confusion variants were controlled using the SPSS program logistic regression.

Results: 93 children were infected by any parasite or commensal, predominating monoparasitism.  Blastocystis sp., Giardia lamblia and E. histolytica /E. dispar were the most frequent parasites. Drinking water quality, nails biting or fingers sucking, as well as no hand washing were identified as factors associated to parasitism; the rest of the factors were confusing.  

Conclusions: half of the patients were found parasite carriers, showing that hygienic conditions and sanitary education in these institutions are still under the level desired by the National Health System.