Epidemiology of intestinal parasitic infection in Iraq for 2021 and 2022 years

Intestinal parasitic infections are endemic worldwide distribution, and infections with intestinal parasites continue to pose serious threats to global public health. The health of people is negatively impacted by these parasite infections, particularly that of young children. The current study included four provinces in Iraq: Baghdad, al-Basra, Al-Najaf and Al-Anbar to screen the prevalence of parasitic infection for two years 2021 and 2022, among patients with age range from days to 70 years old and who visited the doctor after gastrointestinal disorders. The fecal samples were examined by direct smear methods. A total of 1945 specimens of feces for two years were examined. Parasites were isolated from 775 samples as incidence percentage (39.8%) in infection during summer. The highest prevalence was recorded in children among age under 10 years old. Males had higher infection than females with a rate male to female 56.8. Overall protozoa infection Entamoeba histolytica was the most parasitic infection then Giardia lamblia with rare infection recorded by Blastocyst hominis and Isospora belli in addition to Entamoeba coli was recorded as non-pathogenic protozoan. While highest worm infection was caused by Enterobious vermicularis and less infection by Hymenolepis nana. A very rare worms was recorded by Dicrocoelium dendrtiticum, Trichinella spiralis, and Diphylobothrium latum. Acute infection with E.histolytica and G. lamblia shows a significance increasing in spring, summer, and autumn 2022 in all age groups of males, whereas chronic infection with E.histolytica and G. lamblia shows a significance increasing during summer and autumn 2021 in both genders and in all age groups, especially in children. The results of the current investigation are useful in carrying out health strategies aimed at curbing parasitic diseases in Iraq. As a comparison between two years, parasitic infections increased during 2022 more than 2021 probably due to people in 2021 during coronavirus epidemiology taking immune supplements and follow personal hygiene, also periods of health ban make less chance to get intestinal parasitic infection.