Intestinal parasitosis in children: A Balkan pilot study

Aim: to demonstrate the prevalence and the type of intestinal parasites in a representative sample of children living in the municipality of Dibra (MK) and anemia, a related health problem. Material and methods: The study was conducted between January and June 2019 and include 280 school-aged children in the municipality of Dibra. Parents and children were asked to collect a fecal sample, subsequently checked for the presence of intestinal parasites in microbiological laboratories in Dibra. At the same time blood tests were performed on all children with the aim of excluding anemia. Results: The main parasites isolated in our study were Ascaris lumbricoides in five children (1.79 % of all fecal samples), Giardia lamblia in four of them (1.43 %), Taenia coli in two samples (0.71%), Enterobius in two other children (0.71%) and Ancylostoma duodenale in one of them (0.35%). Conclusion: Low personal hygiene, low socioeconomic conditions and schooling level of the parents are closely related to intestinal parasitosis in children. This remains an important health problem worldwide, but with relatively low incidence in our study.