Prevalence of Strongyloides stercoralis and Other Intestinal Parasite Infections in School Children in a Rural Area of Angola: A Cross-Sectional Study

is widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of and other intestinal parasites and identify the risk factors for infection with in a rural area of Angola. A cross-sectional study was conducted in school-age children (SAC) in Cubal, Angola. A questionnaire collecting clinical and epidemiological variables was used, and two stool samples were collected. A concentration technique (Ritchie) and a technique for detection of larvae migration (Baermann) were performed. Of 230 SAC, 56.1% were female and the mean age was 9.3 years (SD 2.45). Severe malnutrition, according to body mass index (BMI)-for-age, was observed in 20.4% of the SAC, and anemia was found in 59.6%. was observed in 28 of the 230 (12.8%) SAC. Eggs of other helminths were observed in 51 (22.2%) students: spp. in 27 students (11.7%), hookworm in 14 (6.1%), four (1.7%), in four (1.7%), in three (1.3%), spp. in two (0.9%), and one (0.4%). Protozoa were observed in 17 (7.4%) students. Detection of was higher using the Baermann technique versus using formol-ether (11.3 vs. 3%). Overall prevalence of in the school population of 16 studied schools in the municipal area of Cubal was greater than 10%. This fact must be considered when designing deworming mass campaigns. The use of specific tests in larvae detection is needed to avoid overlooking this parasite.