Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, The Philippines.
Department of Parasitology, College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, The Philippines.
BMC Infect Dis. 2024 Sep 19;24(1):1012. doi: 10.1186/s12879-024-09780-5.
Parasitic neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) or 'infectious diseases of poverty' continue to affect the poorest communities in the world, including in the Philippines. Socio-economic conditions contribute to persisting endemicity of these infectious diseases. As such, examining these underlying factors may help identify gaps in implementation of control programs. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) and investigate the role of socio-economic and risk factors in the persistence of these diseases in endemic communities in the Philippines.
This cross-sectional study involving a total of 1,152 individuals from 386 randomly-selected households was conducted in eight municipalities in Mindanao, the Philippines. Participants were asked to submit fecal samples which were processed using the Kato-Katz technique to check for intestinal helminthiases. Moreover, each household head participated in a questionnaire survey investigating household conditions and knowledge, attitude, and practices related to intestinal helminthiases. Associations between questionnaire responses and intestinal helminth infection were assessed.
Results demonstrated an overall schistosomiasis prevalence of 5.7% and soil-transmitted helminthiasis prevalence of 18.8% in the study population. Further, the household questionnaire revealed high awareness of intestinal helminthiases, but lower understanding of routes of transmission. Potentially risky behaviors such as walking outside barefoot and bathing in rivers were common. There was a strong association between municipality and prevalence of helminth infection. Educational attainment and higher "practice" scores (relating to practices which are effective in controlling intestinal helminths) were inversely associated with soil-transmitted helminth infection.
Results of the study showed remaining high endemicity of intestinal helminthiases in the area despite ongoing control programs. Poor socio-economic conditions and low awareness about how intestinal helminthiases are transmitted may be among the factors hindering success of intestinal helminth control programs in the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Norte. Addressing these sustainability gaps could contribute to the success of alleviating the burden of intestinal helminthiases in endemic areas.
寄生虫性被忽视热带病（NTDs）或“贫困相关传染病”继续影响着世界上最贫困的社区，包括菲律宾。社会经济条件导致这些传染病持续流行。因此，检查这些潜在因素可能有助于确定控制规划实施中的差距。本研究旨在确定菲律宾流行地区的血吸虫病和土壤传播性蠕虫病（STH）的流行情况，并调查社会经济和危险因素在这些疾病持续存在中的作用。
本横断面研究共纳入来自菲律宾棉兰老岛 8 个市的 386 户随机选择的家庭中的 1152 人。要求参与者提交粪便样本，使用加藤厚涂片法检查肠道蠕虫病。此外，每个家庭户主参与问卷调查，调查与肠道蠕虫病相关的家庭条件、知识、态度和做法。评估问卷回答与肠道蠕虫感染之间的关联。
研究结果显示，研究人群的血吸虫病总流行率为 5.7%，土壤传播性蠕虫病流行率为 18.8%。此外，家庭问卷调查显示对肠道蠕虫病有较高的认识，但对传播途径的了解较低。常见的潜在危险行为包括赤脚在户外行走和在河流中洗澡。市政当局与寄生虫感染的流行率之间存在很强的关联。教育程度和更高的“实践”评分（与控制肠道蠕虫有效的实践有关）与土壤传播性蠕虫感染呈负相关。
尽管正在开展控制规划，但该地区的肠道蠕虫病仍然高度流行。社会经济条件差和对肠道蠕虫病传播方式认识不足可能是阻碍宿雾省和苏里高省肠道蠕虫病控制规划成功的因素之一。解决这些可持续性差距有助于减轻流行地区肠道蠕虫病的负担。
