Malnutrition and intestinal worm infestation in rural Kigezi

Abstract

A prevalence study was done on a sample of 169 pre-school children in a rural area in Kigezi, about 3½ miles from Kabale. The objective was to find whether there was an association between malnutrition and intestinal worm infestation. Both clinical and anthropometric measurements were used to determine the nutritional status of the sample. Stoll’s Method was used in stool examination. High prevalences of malnutrition and parasite rates were found, but there was no statistically significant association between malnutrition and parasite rates. A follow up study on weight of some of these children showed a gain in weight three months after de-worming. This weight gain was statistically significant