Prevalence of intestinal helminths and associated factors among school children of Medebay Zana wereda; North Western Tigray, Ethiopia 2017

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of intestinal helminth infections and associated factors among primary school children of Medebay Zana wereda, a northwestern zone of Tigray, northern Ethiopia from March to April 2017. RESULT: The prevalence of intestinal helminths was 12.7%. The highest prevalence of intestinal helminth infections was observed in the age group of 11-14 years old and the most prevalent helminths species were Schistosoma mansoni. Mothers' level of education [AOR = 0.27 [0.13-0.58]], place of defecation [AOR = 2.63, 95% CI 1.14-6.02]], hand wash before meals [AOR = 9.0, 95% CI 3.72-21.74]], hand wash after defecation [AOR = 5.77 [1.78-18.63]] and eating unwashed vegetables [AOR = 5.67 [2.19-14.73]] were associated with higher risk of having intestinal helminths detected in stool. In the study area the risk of detecting intestinal helminths in their stool were more associated the improper personal hygiene of the children.