Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitosis Infection in Malnutrition among Children in Rural Community of Sarlahi, Nepal

Introduction The malnutrition and intestinal parasitosis are common child health problem in Nepal mostly in rural community. Objectives Find out the point prevalence of malnutrition and parasitosis in a rural community of Sarlahi. Methods The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the period of February to August 2004.The nutritional status and parasitosis was studied in 225 (male 104 and female 121) children aged 0 to 36 months. The nutritional status was measured by Shakir’s tape. The collected stool samples were mixed with 10 percent Formalin solution and transported to Research Laboratory, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Kathmandu. Direct smears were prepared with normal saline and Iodine for microscopic observation. Results Measurement of Mid-upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) revealed that the percentages of severely and moderately malnourished children were 35.11 and 36.88 respectively. It was found that 41.77 percent children were infected with some kind of parasitosis. Altogether, 6 species of Geohelminths or protozoan parasites were detected. The prevalence of roundworm ( Ascaris lumbricoides ) infection was found highest (14.22%), whereas Giardia lamblia topped the list of protozoa by showing positively of 9.33 percent. No Geohelminth or protozoal parasites were detected in children aged less than 7 months. Of the total positive cases, 1.33 percent showed multiple infections with a maximum of two species. Conclusion The study confirmed that malnutrition and parasitosis were important child health problem and the prevalence of 41.77 percent of parasitic infection showed an endemic situation. Therefore, it is recommended that the local health sectors should make provision for regular examination of parasitosis.