Prevalence Rate of Parasitic Infections among Displaced People who Arrived at Al-Mil Hospital in Marib During 2022-2023

الملخص

Background: Parasitic infections (PIs) are considered one of the major health concerns in developing countries, especially among displaced people due to disasters and wars. The most people affected are children and persons who are living in low-income areas, such as displacement camps, which lack safe water, basic health care, and sanitation facilities. Currently, in Marib province, there are camps housing millions of displaced people from different regions of Yemen, and this has formed an environment for spreading many pathogens. Therefore, there is an urgent need to study the prevalence of parasitic infections among displaced people in Marib camps. The aim of the present study is to assess the prevalence of intestinal and urinary parasites among displaced people in Al-Suwayda and some Al-Jufaina camps who arrived at Al-Mil Hospital, Marib governorate, Yemen during 2022-2023.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on displaced people who arrived at Al-Mil Hospital between September 2022 and May 2023 in Marib, Yemen. The data of the study were collected based on hospital records. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS), version 25.0. All differences were considered statistically significant when the probability values (P-value) were < 0.05, at a confidence level of 95%.
Results: A total of 1482 people were included; 786 (53%) were infected with parasites and 696 (47%) were uninfected (P-value = 0.015). Four hundred eighty-eight (62.1%) females and 298(37.9%) males were infected. The prevalence rate of parasitic infection was 62.1% in females, which was higher than that in males (37.9%), and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The results showed a high prevalence rate of Protozoa parasites being more common than helminths (686/87.3% and 40/5.1%, respectively) and mixed (60/7.6%). The most predominant parasite was Entamoeba histolytica 528 (67.2%), which was significantly different (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The current study indicates that displaced people in AL-Suwayda and part of the Al-Jufaina camps in the Yemeni Marib Governorate suffer from a high prevalence of many parasites (53% infected, 1280 parasite), especially among women (62%). Therefore, all interests are required to intensify efforts to improve health sanitation in all camps.