AIM: To determine the correlation between STH infection with serum iron (SI) level on primary school children, as well as to determine the prevalence of SI level and worm infection, and the type of worm that infects the most of them.
METHODS: This study was conducted in the cross-sectional method. Consecutive sampling technique was used and a total of 132 students age 8-12 years old were included. The study took places in Public Primary School 060925 Amplas, Medan and 101747 Hamparan Perak, Deli Serdang throughout May-October 2016. Fisher Exact test was used to analyse the correlation between STH infection and SI level.
RESULTS: The prevalence of STH infection was 7.6%, and low SI was 11.4%.
CONCLUSION: There was no significant correlation between STH infection and SI level (P = 0.317). The prevalence of low SI level was not significantly dependent on STH infection (RP = 1.877, 95% CI = 0.481-7.181).
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in six villages in Langkat district, North Sumatera Province in June 2019. Data were recorded using a standardized questionnaire. Finger pricked blood samples were obtained for malaria examination using rapid diagnostic test, thick and thin blood smears, and polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS: A total of 342 individuals were included in the study. Of them, one (0.3%) had a microscopic Plasmodium malariae infection, no positive RDT examination, and three (0.9%) were positive for P. malariae (n = 1) and Plasmodium knowlesi (n = 2). The distribution of bed net ownership was owned by 40% of the study participants. The participants had a house within a radius of 100-500 m from the forest (86.3%) and had the housing material of cement floor (56.1%), a tin roof (82.2%), wooden wall (35.7%), bamboo wall (28.1%), and brick wall (21.6%).
CONCLUSION: Malaria incidence has substantially decreased in Langkat, North Sumatera, Indonesia. However, submicroscopic infection remains in the population and may contribute to further transmission. Surveillance should include the detection of microscopic undetected parasites, to enable the achievement of malaria elimination.