Indicators of Hookworm and Opisthorchis viverrini Infection: A Study among Adolescents in Urban Laos

Abstract

Present study aimed to identify the factors, including primary school health programs, related to infec- tion with hookworm and O. viverrini among secondary school students in a large city of Laos. Children and adolescents in Laos are at high risk for hookworm and Opisthorchis viverrini infections.

The study conducted a cross-sectional survey in September 2013. First, schoolteachers and students were informed about the study objectives and procedures. A total of 197 students agreed to voluntarily participate and signed consent forms. Students in first grade were not included because they were in the process of admission during the study period.

The infection rates of O. viverrini and hookworm were 39.0% and 36.0%, respec- tively. Older students (OR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.01–2.37, p=0.046) and those whose father had irregular income (OR=0.47, 95% CI: 0.13–0.93, p=0.036) had a higher risk for hookworm infection. Students whose mother had irregular income (OR=0.30, 95% CI: 0.13–0.69, p=0.005) had a higher risk for O. viverrini infection. Higher primary school health program scores were associated with a lower risk for hookworm infection in the univariate model but not in the multivariate model.

Hookworm infection is linked to age and the work of the father. Older students are at a higher risk of infection, while students whose father works and earns a regular income are at a lower risk. Current primary school health programs may be insufficient to minimize O. viverrini infections, and other measures, such as encouraging women to seek occupations that offer a consistent source of income for their family, may be required.