Giardia duodenalis infection among rural communities in Yemen: A community-based assessment of the prevalence and associated risk factors
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2017
Abstract
Objective To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of Giardia infection among rural communities among rural communities in Yemen. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a total of 605 stool samples were collected and screened for the presence of Giardia duodenalis (G. duodenalis) cysts and/or trophozoites by using three different diagnostic methods: direct smear, formalin-ether sedimentation, and trichrome staining. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect information on the demographic, socioeconomic, behavioural and environmental characteristics of the participants. Results Overall, 28.1% (170/605) of the participants were infected by G. duodenalis. The prevalence was significantly higher among male participants compared to female (P = 0.034); however, it was not significant among different age groups (P > 0.05). Univariate and multivariate analyses identified four variables as the significant key risk factors of Giardia infection among the sampled communities. These are, in addition to being of the male gender, using unsafe water sources for drinking water, not washing hands after defecation, presence of other family members infected with Giardia, and close contact with domestic animals. Conclusions The study reveals that Giardia infection is still prevalent among rural communities in Yemen. The provision of clean and safe drinking water, proper sanitation, and health education regarding personal hygiene practices, particularly handwashing, as well as identifying and treating infected family members is imperative and these interventions should be considered in a strategy to control intestinal parasites among these communities in order to curtail the transmission and morbidity caused by G. duodenalis.
Keywords
Giardia duodenalis, Prevalence, Risk factors, Yemen
Divisions
fac_med
Funders
Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia: University of Malaya High Impact Research Grant UM-MOHE (UM.C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/MED/18),University of Malaya Research Grants (RG331-15AFR)
Publication Title
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine
Volume
10
Issue
10
Publisher
Elsevier