Situation of reinfection and factors related to soil – transmitted helminth reinfection in primary school students in Hau Giang province after interacting with Mebendazole 500mg, in 2019-2020

Abstract

* Background: Soil-transmitted helminthiasis is a fairly common disease, the estimated 24% of the world's population infected with soil-transmitted helminth (STH), of which over 43% are in preschool and school-aged students.The study was conducted to provide information on the situation of re-infection, factors related to STH reinfection. The study was carried out from June 2019 to October 2020 on primary school students in Hau Giang province.

* Methods: Community intervention study on 206 primary school students infected with STH by Mebendazole 500mg single dose. Data processing on SPSS 18.0 software, using descriptive statistical calculations and analyzing the relationship between worm reinfection with related factors by squared (χ²) test with  p < 0.05.

* Results: The general SHT reinfection rate of the pupils after 12 months of intervention was 11.2%. The re-infection rate at 3 months was 1.5%, at 6 months it was 2.0%, at 9 months it was 3.5% and at 12 months it was 4.7%. The study observed the relationship between reinfection with STH and the habit of walking barefoot, not wearing shoes in the house and garden, eating raw vegetables, playing with sandy soil, dogs and cats, and the structure of the floor of the school is the ground, the student's family has livestock and poultry running around in the house and the student has unclean hands (p<0.05).

* Conclusion: The rate of the general reinfection of the SHT in elementary school students after 12 months of intervention was 11.2%. It is necessary to strengthen propaganda and advocacy to change students' behavior, to clean the house and the school and to guide them to prevent the STH infection.