Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections among Children Aged 1 to 5 Years Seen at Four (4) Health Facilities in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo

Background:

Intestinal parasitosis is a frequent public health problem in Africa. They remain endemic in the Republic of the Congo. Knowledge of the prevalence and factors associated with protozooses and geohelminthiasis is a means of reducing the intensity of these infections. A cross-sectional study of parasitic carriage in children aged under 5 was carried out between March and October 2022 in the integrated health centers: Sœur Martin, Q24 Karin Johnson, Fulbert Youlou and Maman Mboualé in Brazzaville. The samples collected were subjected to fresh parasitological examination using the Ritchie and Willis methods.

Results:

One hundred twenty-eight (128) stool samples were collected. In total, 18 samples were infected with at least one of the parasites (14.06%). The intestinal parasites identified, in order of prevalence, were: Giardia intestinalis (61.11%); Entamoeba coli (27.78%); and Ascaris lumbricoides (5.56%). Only one sample was co-infected with both Giardia intestinalis and Entamoeba coli. In light of these results, it should be noted that the estimated prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections is low among children aged 1 to 5 years.

Discussion and Conclusion:

The statistical results showed a significant association between whether or not a child received a proper course of deworming and parasite carriage. We therefore recommend the appropriate application of hygiene rules followed by a regular system of collective deworming in families within households to limit collective contamination through promiscuity, in order to ensure effective prevention against intestinal parasitosis