Prevalência de parasitoses infantis em escolares no município de Cajazeiras_PB : um estudo na rede pública municipal de ensino

Abstract

Introduction: In Brazil, the occurrence rates of parasitosis are high in some regions, especially in the North and Northeast, mainly due to favorable environmental conditions for the development of parasitic species. Objective: To identify the most prevalent parasitoses in schoolchildren from public municipal schools in the city of Cajazeiras, in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. Method: We decided to employ a cross-sectional research design, with a descriptive and analytical scope. This research was carried out with children aged 2 to 11-years-old, enrolled in four kindergarten and elementary public municipal schools in Cajazeiras, Paraíba. Results: 164 parasitological stool examinations were carried out using the Hoffman, Pons and Janer method. The overall positivity was 32.93%, 134 of which were collected from children living in the urban area, and 30 from the rural area. Among the protozoa, Endolimax nana was the most found enteroparasite in the stool examinations (29%), followed by the parasite E. histolytica (28%). The lowest occurrences were of the helminths E. vermicularis and H. nana, both at 2%. There was a predominance of monoparasitized individuals (87%) over biparasitized individuals (13%). The results of the logistic regression analysis revealed that the income variable was significant and had a protective effect, showing that the higher the income, the greater the protective effect (OR=0,01; 95% CI 0,01-0,40). Likewise, living in a rural area on an unpaved street proved to be an associated factor for intestinal parasitosis (OR=3.70; 95% CI 1.42-9.63). Conclusion: The occurrence of parasitosis in children reinforces the need to take preventive health measures, with the aim of minimizing transmission and contamination, since the control of intestinal parasites involves improvements in health education, basic sanitation and socioeconomic conditions.