PREVALENCE OF INTESTINAL PARASITIC INFECTIONS AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BARANDOOZ-CHAY RURAL REGION OF URMIA, 2007

It is essential to inspect intestinal parasitic infections in developing countries regularly for designing control measures. Duplicate stool specimens and scotch tape slides from 405 primary school attending students of Barandooz Chay region of Urmia were collected and examined for presence of intestinal parasites by wet mount and formalin – ether (stool specimens) and Graham (scotch tapes) methods in Parasitology Laboratory of Urmia Faculty of Medicine Overall intestinal parasitic prevalence was 42.5%. The prevalence of Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba coli, Blastocystis hominis, Iodamoeba butschlii, E. vermicularis and Hymenolepis nana was 20.5%, 14.6%, 13.3%, 2.5%, 10.6% and 0.2% respectively. No statistic relation was proved between these infections and having tap water facility at home or family population (except for E. vermicularis) but there was a distinct relation between parents’ education level and family population. According to relatively high prevalence of parasitic infections in the study field, it is necessary to increase hygienic and educational measures.