The Prevalence and Factors Associated with Intestinal Parasite Infections Among Children Aged 12-59 Months in Rwanda" Case Study: Nyamasheke District"

Abstract

Background: In developing countries, intestinal parasitic infections are public-health burden and the major cause of illness. In addition, IPIs contribute to many health threats, including growth retardation, mental health-related disorders, and lack of appetite, especially in children. Around the globe, 450 million people are affected by IPIs, most of them are children. Purpose: This study primarily aims to assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with intestinal parasitic infections among children aged 12─59 months in Nyamasheke District, Rwanda. The finding will provide important support for implementing appropriate IPI-control measures in this study area. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out using secondary data from 1,048 children aged 12─59 months, whose stools were examined in laboratories to detect intestinal parasites, and whose results were registered in the Laboratory Information System in 2020. We extracted all required information from this database to conduct the present study. Using a random multistage sampling technique, the general characteristics of the population were determined using Chi-square, while descriptive statistics, based on frequencies and percentages, were used to calculate the prevalence of IPIs among children aged 12─59 months in Nyamasheke District. In addition, a binomial logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with IPIs among children aged 12─59 months in this area. Results: The prevalence of intestinal parasites among children aged 12-59 months was 53.2%. The association between intestinal parasites and each child’s place of residence was statistically significant (OR=1.9, CI=95% p-value=0.031). In addition, the association between intestinal parasites and the mother or child caretaker’s literacy was statistically significant (OR=5.09, CI=95: %: 1.0─3.4, p-value <0.001). Children from farming households were 2.8 times more likely to have IPIs than children from non-farming families (OR=2.8, CI=95: %:1.9─4.1, p-value <0.001). Similarly, a significant association was found between intestinal parasites and food safety (OR=4.9, CI=95: %: 2.9─8.1, p-value <0.001). Another association was found between intestinal parasitic infections and a children’s hands safety after using the toilet and washing fruit before eating (p-value <0.001). However, there was no statistically significant association between intestinal parasitic infections and age, sex, or using piped water and detergent to clean kitchenware, (p-value is ≥ 0.05). The dominant parasite was Ascaris lumbricoides with a prevalence of 13.1%, followed by Giardia lamblia (10.9%), Entamoeba coli (10.5%), Entamoeba histolytica (7.9%), Trichuris trichiura (6.5%), hookworm (1.7%) and Taenia ssp. (1.4%). Conclusion: There is an urgent need for community health education on hand- and food hygiene practices, IPI-transmission risk factors, and mass drug administration for mothers and caretakers responsible for very young children in Nyamasheke District, Rwanda. The information collected here will help public-health providers and partners develop control plans for highly endemic areas in Rwanda.