Skip Navigation



Journal of Tropical Pediatrics Advance Access published online on June 5, 2009
Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, doi:10.1093/tropej/fmp043
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
56/1/60    most recent
fmp043v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Riesel, J. N.
Right arrow Articles by Davidson, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Riesel, J. N.
Right arrow Articles by Davidson, M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author [2009]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Brief Report

High Prevalence of Soil-transmitted Helminths in Western Kenya: Failure to Implement Deworming Guidelines in Rural Nyanza Province

Johanna N. Riesela,b, Frederick O. Ochieng’a,b, Peter Wrighta,c, Sten H. Vermunda,c and Mario Davidsond

a Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
b Lwala Clinic, Rongo 40404, Nyanza Province, Kenya
c Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
d Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA

Correspondence: Johanna Riesel, Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University, 1700 21st Ave S. Nashville, TN 37212, USA. E-mail: <Johanna.n.riesel{at}vanderbilt.edu>


  Abstract

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections affect an estimated 2 billion people world wide. Children experience the greatest morbidity, limiting their potential in academic and physical endeavors. Our study assessed the prevalence of STH infections in primary school-aged children in a rural village in the Nyanza Province of Kenya. Over two-thirds (68%) of the sampled population tested positive using a direct smear microscopic analysis of single stool samples. Only heavy worm infections would be detected with this technique; thus 68% is a minimum estimate of prevalence. Prior to our study, there were no deworming programs in this village, despite WHO and Kenyan government guidelines supporting regular deworming programs. Our study demonstrates the significant burden of STH infections in a rural Kenyan village and highlights the need for deworming programs in similar venues. We also demonstrate that with basic infrastructure and community involvement, regular deworming can be implemented effectively in remote, rural communities.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.