Prevalence of intestinal protozoa and associated factors in children of an ecuadorian educational unit in 2021

Abstract

Introduction: Children represent a group particularly susceptible to parasitic infections. Objective: The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of intestinal protozoa and associated factors in children in an educational unit in the province of Tungurahua, Ecuador, in 2021. Methods: This was a field research, framed at the descriptive level, being cross-sectional; observational; prospective; and descriptive. The study population consisted of a group of 114 children who in the year 2021 were in the initial grades, within the Educational Unit studied. The procedure combined data collection through surveys and the collection of biological samples. Results: 54 % of the children had intestinal parasitic infections. Giardia lamblia was the most prevalent (33 % of children); followed by Ameba histolytica and Ascaris lumbricoides (12 %); Trichuris trichiura and Necator americanus (7 %); and Enterobius vermicularis (4 %). Significant variability was observed in time of deworming, where 47.4 % had never been dewormed, and 19.3 % had been dewormed in the last six months prior to the study. Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in the children studied, with Giardia lamblia being the most common. In addition, factors and practices related to hygiene and prevention of parasitic infections, such as time of deworming, presence of animals at home and access to drinking water, were identified as requiring special attention to improve children's health and reduce the burden of these infections in the school community.