PREVALENCE OF GIARDIASIS AMONG PRIMARY-SCHOOL CHILDREN

This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of intestinal parasites among primary school children in Northern Jordan. Stool specimens were collected from 1100 children of both sexes from urban and rural schools. A questionnaire covering relevant informations was completed for each child. Wet mount preparation, formaline-ether concentration technique, and trichrome stain were prepared for the recovery and identification of parasites. Giardia lamblia was observed in 396 (36%) of the stool specimens examined. The infection rates were higher in the younger age group where several of them had diarrhoea and reported variable symptoms. The infection rates declined with age and children were asymptomatic. Rates were higher in children from the rural areas, from low income families, and it was higher in boys than girls. Contaminated drinking water is suspected to be the major potential source of infection. The importance of the asymptomatic cases and the epidemiological factors contributing to the transmission in these areas are discussed.