Association between Geographical Risk Factors and Intestinal Parasites in West of Mazandaran Province Using Geographic Information System

Background and So far, several studies have been done on the prevalence of intestinal parasites in Mazandaran province, Iran, but no comprehensive study used Geographic Information System (GIS) to investigate all effective factors on the epidemiology of these parasites. The aim of this study was to investigate the intestinal parasites in people residing in West of Mazandaran province using GIS.
This study was conducted in 1120 individuals attending the health centers in West of Mazandaran province. The samples were analyzed using direct methods, formalin - ether, trichrome staining, and modified acid fast. Data analysis was done in SPSS V18 and Arc GIS 9.3.
The prevalence of intestinal parasites was 12.8% in the population studied. The most prevalent protozoa were Blastocystis hominis (5.8%) and among helminthic infections Strongyloides stercoralis (0.53%) were found to be more prevalent. Statistical analysis showed a significant relationship between the prevalence of intestinal parasites and geographic and demographic risk factors including location, drinking water, income level, temperature, and altitude. Prevalence mapping showed Tonekabon as a high-risk region for intestinal parasites.
Temperature and altitude along with demographic factors play an important role in the spread of parasitic diseases. Water purification system, improving sanitation in high risk areas, and basic health training especially in rural areas can help in decreasing the rate of this public health problem.