Abstract:
This study was to investigate the prevalence of parasitic infection among primary school students in Meuang District, Phitsanulok Province, Thailand. From February 2002 to December 2002, a total of 528 students was examined. The student age range was 6 to 10 years. Two hundred and sixty-six subjects were male and 262 were female (male to female ratio 1.02 : 1.00). A diagnosis of Enterobius vermicularis infection was made by using the Scotch cellulose tape technique and a diagnosis of parasitic infection was made by using the formalinether concentration technique. It was revealed that 1) thirty-one students (5.87%) were infected with E. vermicularis and Trichuris trichiura, 2) there was no significant difference in the incidence of infection with regard to student gender and age, 3) the family socio-economic backgrounds (education and income) had no relationship to the prevalence of the enterobiasis, 4) the prevalence of infection was significantly associated with the bathing behaviors of the subjects.
