Abstract
The occurrence of helminthiases in Estonia was under extensive observation from 1956 until 1989. Enterobiasis had remained the most prevalent helminthiasis in Estonia in the 1990s. After 1990, the number of helminthological studies decreased. This study was conducted to investigate the occurrence and possible risk factors of enterobiasis among nursery school children in Southeast Estonia. A total of 954 nursery school children were examined from 22 nursery schools in Tartu and Põlva counties in Estonia. Enterobius vermicularis infection was detected using the anal swab technique. The parents of tested children were asked to complete questionnaires so as to ascertain the potential risk factors in children’s homes and in their families. The overall rate of being positive for E. vermicularis egg was 24.4%. The occurrence of enterobiasis among the examined nursery schools ranged from 11.8 to 46.2% and from 0 to 61.1% in nursery school groups. All nursery schools were infected. Children 5–8 years of age showed a significantly higher rate of being positive for E. vermicularis egg than the younger children. The overall infection rate was higher among boys and among children from larger families. The infection rate was related to washing of hands after closet use. The socioeconomic status of the family was not associated with the frequency of enterobiasis.
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Acknowledgements
The author thanks the directors and teachers of the nursery schools and the parents of the children for their kind cooperation. The investigation was supported technically by Tartu School of Health Care. The author expresses sincere gratitude also to the students, Retti Ennomäe, Kadri Loigu, Elis Oden, and Helena Virt, who participated in the investigation and to Kalle Remm and Ilmar Part for carefully revising the manuscript. The Ethics Review Committee on Human Research, University of Tartu has accepted both investigations (records: 101/4, 28.01.2002 and 136/2, 21.03.2005).
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Remm, M. Distribution of enterobiasis among nursery school children in SE Estonia and of other helminthiases in Estonia. Parasitol Res 99, 729–736 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-006-0220-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-006-0220-1