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. 2017 Oct 9;6(1):139.
doi: 10.1186/s40249-017-0354-7.

High prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections among primary school children, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2015

Sandipan Ganguly  1 , Sharad Barkataki  2 , Sumallya Karmakar  1 , Prerna Sanga  3 , K Boopathi  4 , K Kanagasabai  4 , P Kamaraj  4 , Punam Chowdhury  1 , Rituparna Sarkar  1 , Dibyendu Raj  1 , Leo James  3 , Shanta Dutta  1 , Rakesh Sehgal  5 , Priya Jha  2 , Manoj Murhekar  6
Affiliations

High prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections among primary school children, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2015

Sandipan Ganguly et al. Infect Dis Poverty. .

Abstract

Background: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections often affect the poorest and most deprived communities. In order to generate reliable data for planning a school based deworming program, we conducted a survey among primary school children studying in government schools in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The objectives of our survey were to estimate the prevalence and intensity of STH infections.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among children studying in 130 primary schools from 9 agro-climatic zones, during May - August 2015. Information about socio-demographic details, defecation and hand-hygiene practices, and stool samples were collected from the school children. Stool samples were examined using the Kato-Katz method.

Results: Stool samples from 6421 school children were examined. The overall weighted prevalence of any STH in the State was 75.6% (95% CI: 71.2-79.5). The prevalence was more than 50% in six of the nine agro-climatic zones. A. lumbricoides was the most prevalent STH (prevalence: 69.6%), followed by hookworm (prevalence: 22.6%) and T. trichura (4.6%). The majority of the STH infections were of low intensity. The practice of open defecation and not washing hands with soap after defecation and residence in kutcha house were significant risk factors of STH infection.

Conclusions: STH prevalence among primary school children in Uttar Pradesh was high. Given the WHO guidelines on deworming frequency according to STH prevalence, Govt of Uttar Pradesh needs to implement a school-based deworming program with bi-annual frequency. The findings of our survey would also help monitor the performance of school based deworming programme.

Keywords: India; Soil-transmitted helminths; Uttar Pradesh.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The Institutional Ethics Committee of the National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, approved the study protocol. Written informed consent of parents for all students assenting to participate in the study was obtained prior to the interviews.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. PS and LJ who are employed with GFK Mode, a marketing company had no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Predicted prevalence map of soil-transmitted helminths, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2015
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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