Source of Piped Drinking Water Supply and Soil Transmitted Helminth Infections (STHI) in School Children in El Salvador

Abstract Background Soil transmitted helminth infections (STHI) are important Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD), particularly Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiuraand hookworms. STHI significantly affects growth and development of children, especially in low-income developing countries. This study aims to determine the prevalence of STHI among school going children in El Salvador and the association between STHI infection and drinking water supply in the country. Methods Data for this analysis were obtained from a 2011 Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) survey on children aged 8–10 years in El Salvador. The survey collected demographic, behavioral, environmental, and STHI infection data of 1310 children, including the source of drinking water by municipalities. Source of piped water in El Salvador is by the ‘Administracion Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillodos’ (ANDA) agency in EL Salvador, contracted decentralized operators, and/or non-decentralized operators. Descriptive statistics was done to understand the study population and logistic regression was conducted to determine the association between STHI infection and drinking water supply in the study population. Results Of the 1310 children, 49.01% (n = 642) were male and 30.46% (n = 399) were 8 year olds. The prevalence of STHI infections in the study population was 2.75% for Ascaris lumbricoides, 4.10% for Trichuris trichiura, and 1.83% for hookworm. Source of drinking water supply was significantly associated with STHI infection in the study population. Compared with individuals who resided in areas supplied by ANDA, individuals who resided in areas supplied by the decentralized operators under contract management were four times more likely to be infected with Ascaris lumbricoides. While amongst individuals who resided in areas receiving drinking water through piped supply by decentralized operators under contract management, the risk of infection was 2.8 times higher than amongst those who resided in areas receiving drinking water through piped supply by decentralized operators not under contract management Conclusion Our results show that there is a significant association between the piped drinking water supply and Ascaris lumbricoides infection in the study population. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.