Prevalence and risk factors of cryptosporidium infection in pre-school infant children attending the ART clinic in Mubende Regional Referral Hospital, Central Uganda

Abstract

The study was aimed at understanding the occurrence of Cryptosporidium infection and emphasis was on the prevalence and the risk factors among the pre-school infant children attending the ART clinic in Mubende Regional Referral Hospital, central Uganda. The study involved seventy-one infants that attended to the Antiretral virus therapy (ART) clinic of Mubende regional referral hospital. The samples were collected following informed verbal consent from their parents. Researcher administered questionnaires were used to obtain the demographic information as an attempt to establish patient related risk factors. Stool samples were collected in 70% ethanol and processed in the Mubende Regional Referral hospital main laboratory using modified Ziehl-Neelsen procedure. Of seventy-one samples analysed, the overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection was 12.68%. The risk factors included age of child, house hold factors. Child having HIV infection. Also absence of hand washing facility and care takers not washing hands after toilets were other risk factors. There is need to sensitize the patient’s caretakers on the importance of improved proper hygiene, proper fecal waste disposal to put low the risk of cryptosporidium infection to young children in community at large.