Evaluation of taeniasis prevalence in the area supervised by the Provincial Sanitary-Epidemiological Unit in Szczecin between 1994 and 1998.

INTRODUCTION

The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of taeniasis in population supervised by the Provincial Sanitary-Epidemiological Unit in Szczecin between 1994 and 1998.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The prevalence of intestinal taeniasis in population of Szczecin Province was evaluated basing on data from the selection charts available in the Provincial and Field Sanitary-Epidemiological Units between 1994 and 1998. The following parameters were analyzed: environment (urban, rural), sex and age groups of patients. Basing on these data the prevalence of taeniasis per 100,000 of citizens was calculated. The study presents also the prevalence of taeniasis according to the species.

RESULTS

In the studied period 337 cases of infestation of tapeworms were registered. The incidence of taeniasis in the consecutive years tended to be decreasing. The incidence of taeniasis decreased from 10.33 cases per 100.000 of population in 1994 to 3.52/100.000 in 1998. The incidence rate was higher in urban residents than in rural residents. In the whole analyzed period 82% of cases were noted in patients aged 20-59; however, the highest incidence of taeniasis (30%) was observed in patients aged 40-49 years. Taenia saginata turned out to be the prevalent species. The percentage of unclassified taeniasis (Taenia species) was only 3.3% in the analyzed period of time. It is necessary to improve the accessibility of efficient health care units in the rural environment to make the evaluation of incidence of taeniasis reliable.

CONCLUSIONS

Taeniasis, despite its lower prevalence in the consecutive years, is still an epidemiological problem. Better access to effective health care institutions in the rural area is extremely important for reliable evaluation of prevalence of tapeworm infestation.