Investigation of intestinal parasites among primary and middle school students in Licheng district, Putian city, Fujianprovince

Objective To investigate intestinal parasitic infection among primary and middle school students, provide evidencefor the development of control measures. Methods　Kato Katz and saline direct smears were used to investigate intestinal parasitic infection among 10 131 students in Licheng district from May to October in 2007. Results　The overall infection rate of intestinal parasites was 12.26%. The infection rates of roundworm and whipworm were different in different age groups, the highest was in the age group of 8 to 13 years (9.33% and 9.78%, respectively), followed by the age group of 5 to7 years (5.06% and 6.74%). The highest infection rate of hookworm was observed in the age group of 14 to 21 years (0.16%).Conclusion　High infection rate of intestinal parasites was observed in primary and middle school students in Li Chengdistrict. Therefore, health education and intervention should be improved to promote the awareness of disease prevention andto reduce the infection rate of intestinal parasites.