Background: Intestinal parasitic infections remain a significant public health concern among school-aged children in developing countries, particularly in areas with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and distribution of intestinal parasites among students at Addis Alem Primary School in Dessie, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 354 students aged 6–15 years. Stool samples were collected and examined using direct saline wet mount techniques. Data were analyzed for prevalence rates across age groups, genders, and parasite species. Result: The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 3.95% (14/354). Hymenolepis nana was the most prevalent parasite (71.4% of infections), followed by Entamoeba histolytica, Schistosoma mansoni, Giardia lamblia, and Enterobius vermicularis (7.1% each). Age-specific analysis revealed the highest infection rate in the 12–15-year age group (10%) and the lowest in 8–10-year-olds (2.63%). Females had a higher infection rate (5.02%) than males (2.85%). Although the prevalence of IPIs in this study was lower than national estimates, the predominance of H. nana and higher infection rates among females and older students highlight the need for targeted interventions. Improved school-based deworming programs, enhanced water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities, and health education are recommended to reduce transmission and mitigate health impacts.
| Published in | Medicine and Health Sciences (Volume 2, Issue 1) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.mhs.20260201.11 |
| Page(s) | 1-9 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Intestinal Parasites, Schoolchildren, Hymenolepis Nana, Prevalence, Ethiopia, WASH
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APA Style
Awol, L. S., Ali, I. E., Mohammed, M., Mohammed, K. S., Tesho, T. H., et al. (2025). Diagnosis and Treatment of Intestinal Parasites Among Addis Alem Primary School Students, Dessie, Ethiopia. Medicine and Health Sciences, 2(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mhs.20260201.11
ACS Style
Awol, L. S.; Ali, I. E.; Mohammed, M.; Mohammed, K. S.; Tesho, T. H., et al. Diagnosis and Treatment of Intestinal Parasites Among Addis Alem Primary School Students, Dessie, Ethiopia. Med. Health Sci. 2025, 2(1), 1-9. doi: 10.11648/j.mhs.20260201.11
@article{10.11648/j.mhs.20260201.11,
author = {Lubaba Seid Awol and Ismail Ebrie Ali and Mekonnen Mohammed and Kewser Seid Mohammed and Tilahun Haile Tesho and Birhanu Getahun and Hanan Getahun Yimam and Arebu Gashaw Yimer and Kalkidan Teklu Demissie and Yesuf Ebrahim Adem and Mohammed Kassa Mohammed and Mulugeta Teshome},
title = {Diagnosis and Treatment of Intestinal Parasites Among Addis Alem Primary School Students, Dessie, Ethiopia},
journal = {Medicine and Health Sciences},
volume = {2},
number = {1},
pages = {1-9},
doi = {10.11648/j.mhs.20260201.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mhs.20260201.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.mhs.20260201.11},
abstract = {Background: Intestinal parasitic infections remain a significant public health concern among school-aged children in developing countries, particularly in areas with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and distribution of intestinal parasites among students at Addis Alem Primary School in Dessie, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 354 students aged 6–15 years. Stool samples were collected and examined using direct saline wet mount techniques. Data were analyzed for prevalence rates across age groups, genders, and parasite species. Result: The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 3.95% (14/354). Hymenolepis nana was the most prevalent parasite (71.4% of infections), followed by Entamoeba histolytica, Schistosoma mansoni, Giardia lamblia, and Enterobius vermicularis (7.1% each). Age-specific analysis revealed the highest infection rate in the 12–15-year age group (10%) and the lowest in 8–10-year-olds (2.63%). Females had a higher infection rate (5.02%) than males (2.85%). Although the prevalence of IPIs in this study was lower than national estimates, the predominance of H. nana and higher infection rates among females and older students highlight the need for targeted interventions. Improved school-based deworming programs, enhanced water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities, and health education are recommended to reduce transmission and mitigate health impacts.},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Diagnosis and Treatment of Intestinal Parasites Among Addis Alem Primary School Students, Dessie, Ethiopia AU - Lubaba Seid Awol AU - Ismail Ebrie Ali AU - Mekonnen Mohammed AU - Kewser Seid Mohammed AU - Tilahun Haile Tesho AU - Birhanu Getahun AU - Hanan Getahun Yimam AU - Arebu Gashaw Yimer AU - Kalkidan Teklu Demissie AU - Yesuf Ebrahim Adem AU - Mohammed Kassa Mohammed AU - Mulugeta Teshome Y1 - 2025/12/26 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mhs.20260201.11 DO - 10.11648/j.mhs.20260201.11 T2 - Medicine and Health Sciences JF - Medicine and Health Sciences JO - Medicine and Health Sciences SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Science Publishing Group UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mhs.20260201.11 AB - Background: Intestinal parasitic infections remain a significant public health concern among school-aged children in developing countries, particularly in areas with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and distribution of intestinal parasites among students at Addis Alem Primary School in Dessie, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 354 students aged 6–15 years. Stool samples were collected and examined using direct saline wet mount techniques. Data were analyzed for prevalence rates across age groups, genders, and parasite species. Result: The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 3.95% (14/354). Hymenolepis nana was the most prevalent parasite (71.4% of infections), followed by Entamoeba histolytica, Schistosoma mansoni, Giardia lamblia, and Enterobius vermicularis (7.1% each). Age-specific analysis revealed the highest infection rate in the 12–15-year age group (10%) and the lowest in 8–10-year-olds (2.63%). Females had a higher infection rate (5.02%) than males (2.85%). Although the prevalence of IPIs in this study was lower than national estimates, the predominance of H. nana and higher infection rates among females and older students highlight the need for targeted interventions. Improved school-based deworming programs, enhanced water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities, and health education are recommended to reduce transmission and mitigate health impacts. VL - 2 IS - 1 ER -