Prevalência e fatores associados às parasitoses intestinais em escolares do município de Peçanha, Vale do Rio Doce, Minas Gerais

Abstract

Introduction: Intestinal parasitosis are infections caused by helminths and protozoa that affect mainly children, adolescents and young adults. These infections continue to be a serious public health problem due to their high prevalence and the damage caused to hosts. Objective: To determine the prevalence and epidemiological aspects associated with intestinal parasitosis in schoolchildren in the city of Peçanha, East of Minas Gerais. Methodology: With the partnership between PARLABGV and the municipality's Education and Health department, all students duly enrolled in that school were invited to participate in the study. All guidelines were passed on by the teachers who distributed the collectors, questionnaire and the informed consent form to the students. All participants provided a stool sample that was processed using the HPJ method. Results: The study involved 138 students, 47% female and 53% male. 52 samples were positive for some evolutionary form of intestinal parasite, thus revealing a prevalence of 37.7%. Of these, 32 (61.5%) samples were found with monoparasitism and 20 (38.5%) with polyparasitism. Among the protozoa found, it is worth mentioning: E. nana (12 samples) and E. coli (seven samples) and regarding the helminths: A. lumbricoides (five samples), E. vermicularis (five samples) and S. mansoni (two samples). In polyparasitism, the association of amoebae: E. histolytica + E. coli (six samples) deserves special mention. Sociodemographic data did not reveal any association in the study group. Conclusion: The high prevalence of intestinal parasites among the evaluated students clearly demonstrates the occurrence of cycles of infection and reinfection in the study area. Most of the parasites found are transmitted by contaminated water and food and reveal the need for improvements in personal and collective hygiene, as well as access to good quality drinking water. Given this, it is extremely important to adopt educational actions focused on parasitic diseases and awareness of the school population and their families about prophylaxis and control of these diseases that so devastate these communities.