ATTITUDES TOWARDS HELMINTHIC INFECTION IN THE JIREL POPULATION OF EASTERN NEPAL

Intestinal worm infections, including roundworm, hookworm, and whipwor m, are major international health concerns, affecting approximately on e fourth of the world's population. Many intervention schemes have bee n attempted to control these infections in heavily exposed populations , but success has been limited because individuals are readily reinfec ted upon renewed exposure. Few data are available concerning people's health beliefs about soil-transmitted helminthic infections in such po pulations. The purpose of this study was to assess health beliefs abou t common helminthiasis in a population experiencing moderate to high r ates of infection. The focal population for the study was the Jirel po pulation, a tribal group distributed across nine villages in the Jiri Region of Dolakha District, eastern Nepal. The results indicate that b eliefs about the types, causes, and treatments of helminthic infection s have been developed and reinforced by experience and empirical evide nce. People's frequent inability to confirm the efficacy of drug thera py by observing worms in stools has led to dissatisfaction with biomed ical approaches. Carefully planned education programs are required to alter prevailing attitudes and improve control of soil-transmitted hel minthiasis in the region. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights re served.