[Occurrence of intestinal parasites among first grade students in Poland in years 2002/2003]

In the school year 2002/2003 there were examined in Poland some of the population of 7-year-old children for the presence of intestinal parasites, continuing countrywide operation launched in 1988.

The studies were based on the examination of a single faecal specimen and a cellophane swab using the following methods: wet mount preparations in 0.9% NaCl and diluted Lugol's ioine, zinc sulphate centrifugal flotation and decantation.

The studies included 31 504 children from 15 provinces of Poland. The parasites most frequently encountered in the examinations included: Enterobius vermicularis (in 3 827 of the examined, i. e. 12, 15%), Ascaris lumbricoides (in 263; 0.83%), Giardia intestinalis (in 217: 0.69%), Entamoeba coli (n 189; 0.60%) and Trichuris trichiura (in 39; 0.12%) The overall percentage of the infected children was 15.4%. The highest number of infected children was found in the province warmińsko-mazurskie (29.6%0), the smallest in slaskie (8.8%). The number of infected among children inhabiting country (19%) was significantly higher than among those from the towns (10.4%). The obtained results confirmed hitherto existing views that in Poland the epidemiological situation of infections with intestinal parasites is steadily improving.