HEMATOLOGICAL PROFILE OF SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH AND WHITHOUT INTESTINAL PARASITIC INFECTIONS IN FIK DISTRICT, ERER ZONE, ETHIOPIAN-SOMALI REGION

Parasite infections are a disease conditions associated with the presence of parasite in a host’s body. And It is believed that infections caused by parasites have an effect on hematological parameters. Hence this study was designed to investigate the effect of intestinal parasites infections on Packed Read Cell Volume (PCV), Hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, and blood groups frequencies as well as to investigate the intestinal parasite prevalence among school children. Stool and blood samples were collected from 420 students which 239 were males and 181 were females in five selected Schools at Fik District, Erer Zone of Ethiopian-Somali Region. Regarding the age categories of the study participants,107 were 7-10 years old, 192 were 11-14 years old and 121 were 15-18 years old. Stool samples were examined using direct wet mount and Formal-ether concentration methods. It was obtained 178 students were positive with intestinal parasites and 242 students were without intestinal parasite infections. Furthermore, in order to determine hematological blood difference of infected students with the non-infected students, blood samples were examined using haematocrit, haemometer and ABO blood grouping techniques for the determination of packed red cell volume (PCV) value (%), hemoglobin (Hb concentration (g/dl) and blood group, respectively. It was revealed that the mean PCVand Hb blood groups were not significantly different between the infected and noninfected individuals; for blood group frequencies O+ and A+ were the most frequent blood groups among the intestinal parasite negative and positive students, respectively. Age and sex infection rate, were not seen significant difference, it was also observed that males had higher PCV with (32.0%) and Hb with (10.6g/dl) than the females with (31.0%) and (10.3 g/dl), respectively regardless of infections. In conclusion, this study shows that there was slight difference in relationship between intestinal parasites and sex difference in their hematological parameters (PCVand Hb) but the different was not statistically significant both p values (p>0.05) and frequency rate.