Incidence of parasitic infestation in black children at Livingstone Hospital.

This study was undertaken to determine the incidence of protozoa and helminthic ova in faecal samples of Black children attending Livingstone Hospital. Specimens were collected from 100 children who presented with, inter alia, a history of worms in the stool or vomitus. Controls consisted of a further 100 patients selected at random who did not have a history of passing worms and whose symptoms were not directly attributable to parasite infestation, e.g. wheezing chest, bloody stools. Results indicate that 66% of the random group were infested compared with 76% of the suspect group. Trichuris trichiuria and Ascaris lumbricoides were the commonest parasites found.