Prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites among primary school students as a public health issue: A comparative study between rural and urban areas

The main purpose of the research work is to study the diversity of the etiological structure of gastrointestinal parasites among primary school students in rural and urban settlements of the Turkestan region by identifying and comparing the frequency of their occurrence and spread. Gastrointestinal parasitic infections pose a serious public health problem worldwide, especially in rural areas of developing countries. There is evidence that about 3.5 billion people worldwide have been infected with parasitic infections, of which about 450 million (about 30%) children have been infected with gastrointestinal parasites. It is known that primary school students are in a vulnerable group at risk of contracting gastrointestinal parasitic infections due to immaturity of the immune system, non-compliance with hygiene measures, oral activity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 870 million children live in an endemic zone with gastrointestinal worms and annually lead to the death of 15 million young children, most of whom are widespread in developing countries, mainly on the Asian and African continents. The scientific novelty of the study is that for the first time the etiological structure of gastrointestinal parasites occurring among primary school students of rural and urban settlements of Turkestan region will be revealed, the frequency of their occurrence and distribution will be studied. The influence of various levels of the economic and social factor of rural and urban settlements on the frequency of gastrointestinal parasites is also investigated. To contribute to the World Health Organization on behalf of the Republic of Kazakhstan. As a result of the study, the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in children in our state, which is among the developing countries, will be revealed or not revealed, compared with each other in socio-economic conditions with other developed and underdeveloped states.