A vicious cycle of helminth infections: Current sanitation status and practices that led to continued STH transmission in rural communities in the Philippines

Abstract BackgroundHelminth infections among children remains a public health concern despite continued deworming activities conducted in all public schools nationwide. Access to improved sanitation facilities not only leads to continued practice of open defecation predispose children to this intestinal parasitic infection. This study aim to characterize the sanitation situation and practices among households as well as their deworming practices and associate it with the prevalence in two rural communities in San Pascual, Masbate, Philippines. MethodsA survey of 234 randomly selected households from the two barangays was conducted followed by stool screening using Kato-Katz method from 586 children and adolescents below 18 years old was done in June 2019. ResultsThe survey showed that 33.28% of households do not have access to sanitary toilet and open defecation was practiced by 53.92% of surveyed households. More than half of the households (60.75%) surveyed also reported “poso” as their source of drinking water. The survey also revealed that households have high scores in the knowledge, attitude, and practices or KAP section of the survey. The over-all cumulative prevalence rate was at 41.6% moderate to light intensity infection rate. ConclusionAmong the variables tested, only the source of drinking water, attitude scores, and MDA participation showed association with having helminth infection among children. The study highlights the importance of advocating multi-sectoral approach in addressing persistent public health issues like the intestinal parasitic infections among children. Moreover, this study provides valuable information needed to support strategies like community-led total sanitation or CLTS as a potential strategy addressing both sanitation and public health dilemma.