Prevalence of intestinal parasites in Saudi children: a community-based study.

A community-based study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and types of intestinal parasites in the pediatric population of Al-Baha region, Saudi Arabia. Stool samples were randomly collected from 19,939 children of whom 4208 (21.1%) were found to harbour intestinal parasites. The most affected age group was 5-9 years and the sex distribution was almost equal in all age groups. Specific prevalence rates were Giardia lamblia 9 per cent, entamoeba histolytica 5 per cent, Hymenolepis nana 2 per cent, and Enterobius vermicularis 2 per cent. The findings of this survey confirm the extremely complex nature of parasitic profile in developing communities, and indicate that relationships exist between cultural and ecological factors, sanitation, and observed pattern of intestinal parasites.