A survey of intestinal helminths among children of different social communities in Madras, India.

Approximately 500 children from five social communities in Madras, Tamilnadu, India were surveyed for intestinal helminth infection. The results of the survey indicated that the extent and degree of helminth infections vary significantly (p less than 0.001) between communities in Madras. The frequency and intensity distributions in two of the populations, the elite and the fishing communities are discussed. It is suggested that in view of the wide variability, health education should be geared toward each type of community and its specific routes of helminth dissemination rather than mass education, much of which may be useless to large segments of the general population.