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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
Intestinal parasitic infections are prevalent in conditions which have poor hygiene, environment and sanitation. Orphans always lack in basic monetary and sanitary assets in their livelihood. Overcrowded places with lack of cleanliness like orphanages and destitute homes are most dangerous as the infection spreads through them swiftly leading to multiple infections (1). In this tender age group, children are not outspoken about their problems, which can increase the chronicity of the infestation leading to serious impairment in their health. Kalaburagi being a dry and developing city has a great possibility that parasitic infections may be highly prevalent. Aim of the project was to find the most common infestation in the orphanage and destitute home children of age group 5 to 15 years in the city of Kalaburagi. Also the aim was to advise the children about personal hygiene and sanitation. Material methods: The study was performed over 2 months from the month of June 2015 in seven orphanages and destitute homes which constituted of both government and private funded organizations, in the city of Kalaburagi. A total of 232 children were examined. All the procedures were referred from WHO recommended ―Manual of basic techniques for a Health Laboratory. Results: From the 182 samples examined by direct smear and concentration techniques, 89 samples (48.9%) were noted positive for the presence of intestinal parasite. The most common infestation was Entamoeba coli in 38 samples (42.69%), followed by Entamoeba histolytica with 32 samples (35.95%) showing positivity. The third most common parasite was Giardia lamblia with 18 positive samples (20.2%). Hymenolepis nana was prevalent in 15.7 % of positive samples. 1.1% of Ascaris lumbricoides, 2.2% of Strongyloides stecoralis, 1.1% of Trichuris trichiura, 2.2% of Trichomonas hominis and 1.1% of Enterobius vermicularis were also found. This study re-instates the fact that parasitic infections are still prevalent among children of age group 5-15 years. The onus of parasitic infection mingled with poor sanitary facilities must be considered as an alarming public health issue. This clearly denotes there is requirement of government intervention and programs to improve health status of these individuals.