High Rate Of Intestinal Parasites Among A Closed Community Of Zay Populations Residing On Three Islands Of Lake Ziway, Ethiopia

Background Several factors including socio-economic and access to health facility influence burden of intestinal parasites. Epidemiological data from hard to reach areas will help to identify high-risk communities for targeted intervention. We, therefore, assessed the magnitude of intestinal parasites among Zay people residing in three islands of Lake Ziway in Ethiopia. Methods This cross-sectional survey was conducted in March 2013 on 444 individuals aged 6 months to 85 years. Stool samples were analyzed using wet mount and formol-ether concentration methods. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using STATA version 10. Results Among the study participants, 52% (321/444) were children under 15 years. While 72.8% were positive for at least one intestinal parasite, single, dual and triple infections were found in 42.1%, 23.9% and 6.3%, respectively. Four types of intestinal parasites were detected in two children. The commonest parasites wereEntamoeba histolytica/dispar(51.4%),Schistosoma mansoni(17.8%),Giardia lamblia(14.4%),Trichuris trichiura(10.8%), Taenia species (5.6%),Hymenolopis nana(4.5%),Ascaris lumbricoides(4.1%),Entrobius vermicularis(0.9%), Hookworm (0.7%), andStrongyloides stercoralis(0.2%). Remarkable proportion of study participants (51.3%) had no latrine and >85% of the islanders use the lake water for drinking, cleaning or both. About 36% had no information about waterborne and related diseases, while 31% never heard about bilharziasis. Fishing and farming were the main source of income. In the multivariate model, being in the age group > 15 years (AOR = 0.49; 95%CI = 0.28-0.85) and not using lake water for drinking or washing (AOR = 0.52; 95%CI = 0.28-0.99) had protective effect, after adjusting for education, occupation and hand wash after latrine use. Conclusion The observed high rate of intestinal parasites (72.8%) in these hard to reach Islanders of Lake Ziway, warrants targeted and sustainable intervention.