L. Jemaneh, COMPARATIVE PREVALENCES OF SOME COMMON INTESTINAL HELMINTH INFECTIONSIN DIFFERENT ALTITUDINAL REGIONS IN ETHIOPIA, Ethiopian medical journal, 36(1), 1998, pp. 1-8
Infection prevalences of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and
the hookworms in school children in several communities of three alti
tudinal regions in Ethiopia have been analyzed. The prevalence of A. l
umbricoides infection was 29% in the highlands, 35% in the temperate a
reas and 38% in the lowlands. The prevalence of hookworm infection was
highest in the lowlands (24%) followed by the temperate (15%) and hig
hland (7%) areas and the difference was significant (p<0.0001). T. tri
chiura infection exhibited similar prevalences in all altitudinal regi
ons (13% on the average). The prevalence of infection due to Ascaris,
lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura was significantly correlated (r(s
)=0.55, p<0.001) in the lowlands hinting the closely related distribut
ion and co-occurrence of these parasites. the prevalence of infection
due to the hookworms and T. trichiura in the temperate areas showed so
me pattern of association (r(s)=0.29). A similar pattern has also been
noted between the prevalence of infection due to A. lumbricoides and
T. trichiura in the highland areas (r(s)=0.48). The co-occurrence of A
. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infections in the lowlands and in the
highlands suggest that a concurrent intervention against infection due
to these two parasites using the same control methods would be advant
ageous.