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Antecedentes. El ausentismo escolar es un problema importan-te relacionado con altas tasas de abandono escolar, bajo rendimiento académico y rezago escolar. Este estudio determinó la frecuencia y las causas del ausentismo general y el ausentismo relacionado con la enfermedad en estudiantes de escuelas rurales de dos municipios de Colombia. Métodos. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo en una población de 948 escolares de 34 escuelas rurales. Los datos de ausentismo recopilados para el año 2013 consistieron en el número de episodios y días de ausentismo por grado y motivo de ausencia general y por enfermedad. Se calcularon las tasas de ausentismo general y por enfermedad. Resultados. El 55,1% de la población participante eran hombres y el 71,6% tenían entre 5 y 9 años. La tasa de ausentismo general fue 5,7 episodios por niño-año, IC 95% (5,5-5,8) y 8,6 días por niño-año, IC 95% (8,4-8,9). Las principales razones del ausentismo fueron enfermedades (24,4%), chequeo médico u odontológico (12,9%), viajes (12,3%), falta de motivación para asistir a la escuela (10,0%) y mal clima (9,3%). La tasa de ausentismo por enfermedad fue 1,4 episodios por niño-año IC 95% (1,3-1,5) y 2,5 días por niño-año IC 95% (2,4-2,6). Las principales razones del ausentismo por enfermedad fueron el resfriado común (37,0%), la fiebre inespecífica (10,9%) y el dolor de estómago o vómito (8,4%). Conclusiones. Las razones más comunes para la no asistencia estuvieron relacionadas con la enfermedad. La importancia de las infecciones respiratorias y gastrointestinales en el absentismo fue evidente, mostrando tasas similares a las de otros estudios en escuelas urbanas. Los resultados de este estudio proporcionan conocimiento sobre la magnitud y las razones del absentismo en la población escolar rural Background: School absenteeism is a considerable problem generally related to higher dropout rates, poor academic achievement and school lag. This study determined the frequency and causes of overall and ill-ness-related absenteeism of students in rural schools from two Colombian municipalities. Methods: A prospective and descriptive study was conducted in a popula-tion of 948 school children from 34 rural schools. Absenteeism data were collected for 2013 academic year consisted of the number of students registered and absent by grade, school, day and reason for absence. Absence rates (overall and illness-related absenteeism) were recorded, based on full or partial days absence, measured both as episodes, and accumulating the number of days. Results: From the students included in the study, 55.1% were male and 71.6% were between 5 and 9 years old. The overall absence rate was 5.7 episodes per child-year (95% confidence interval 5.5 to 5.8) and 8.6 days per child-year (8.4 to 8.9). The main reasons for non-attendance were ill-ness (24.4%), medical or dental check-up (12.9%), travel (12.3%), lack of motivation to attend school (10.0%) and bad weather (9.3%). The illness-related absence rate was 1.4 episodes per child-year (95% confidence in-terval 1.3 to 1.5) and 2.5 days per child-year (2.4 to 2.6). The main reasons for illness-related absence were cold (37.0%), nonspecific fever (10.9%) and stomach pain or vomiting (8.4%). Conclusions: In this study, the most common reasons for non-attendance were illness-related. The importance of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections in absenteeism was evident, showing rates similar to other urban school studies. Then, the results of this study provide knowledge on the magnitude and reasons for absenteeism in rural schoolchildren.

Introduction: Dengue is a public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Studies on dengue in rural areas are scarce since the disease is considered mainly urban. Objective: To determine the knowledge (K), attitudes (A) and practices (P) of dengue in an endemic area in Colombia. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 515 pupils (7-16 years old) in 34 rural schools in Anapoima and La Mesa municipalities during 2011. Each KAP category was evaluated independently by a scoring system and then categorized into high, medium or low. Results: Pupils recognized knowledge variables such as the symptoms (fever, bone pain), transmission route (mosquito bites), and mosquito breeding sites (uncovered wáter tanks, solid waste). Average scores on attitude were high in both municipalities indicating a well-developed perception of disease severity. Seeking treatment in medical centers and self-medication for fever management and the use of mosquito net and space-spraying of insecticides were the most frequently identified practices. Discussion: This is the first KAP dengue study performed in a rural area in Colombia and as such it contributes to the understanding of dengue perceptions by the inhabitants of these areas. It showed a medium level of knowledge about dengue and a lower level of preventive practices in pupils from rural schools. It also showed that pupils considered space-spraying as crucial for vector control. The presence of the vector in rural areas of the country underlines the need to improve surveillance and education to more effectively control the vector and promote prevention methods including community participation. Resumen Introducción. El dengue es un problema de salud pública en las regiones tropicales y subtropicales del mundo. Los estudios sobre la enfermedad en áreas rurales son escasos debido a que se presenta principalmente en los núcleos urbanos. Objetivo. Determinar los conocimientos, las actitudes y las prácticas sobre el dengue en un área rural endémica en Colombia. Materiales y métodos. Se hizo un estudio transversal con 515 estudiantes, entre los 7 y los 16 años de edad en 34 escuelas rurales de los municipios de Anapoima y La Mesa en el 2011. Cada categoría se evaluó por separado con un puntaje clasificado como alto, medio o bajo. Resultados. Los estudiantes reconocieron los síntomas (fiebre, dolor de huesos), la ruta de transmisión (picadura de mosquitos) y los criaderos (depósitos de agua destapados, residuos sólidos). El promedio de los puntajes de actitudes fue alto en ambos municipios, lo que indica que percibían la gravedad del dengue. Las prácticas más frecuentes de tratamiento de la fiebre fueron la consulta médica y la automedicación, en tanto que los métodos de control más frecuentes fueron el uso de mosquiteros y el rociamiento con insecticidas. Discusión. Este es el primer estudio de conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas sobre el dengue en un área rural de Colombia. Los resultados contribuyen a entender las percepciones de la enfermedad en sus habitantes y evidenciaron niveles medios de conocimiento y puntuaciones bajas en cuanto a las prácticas entre los estudiantes de las escuelas rurales. Los estudiantes consideraron que la fumigación es importante para el control del vector. La presencia del mosquito en áreas rurales del país resalta la necesidad de mejorar la vigilancia y la educación para lograr un control efectivo del vector y promover métodos de prevención que incluyan la participación comunitaria.

Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are a major health concern globally. Infection is mostly through contact with contaminated water, food or soil. Therefore to break the cycle of viable transmission STH eggs must be quantitatively detected in the environment. The effect of different reagents on the viability of Ascaris suum eggs during laboratory detection and quantification was assessed and different incubation solutions compared. Sulphuric acid gave a slightly higher recovery percentage of viable eggs (91.2%) than distilled water (90.0%) and 0.5% formalin (87.6%), although the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Acetoacetic acid, ethyl acetate, ammonium bicarbonate, zinc sulphate, magnesium sulphate and Tween 80, are reagents widely used in test protocols for the detection and quantification of STH eggs. Eggs were exposed to these reagents for different time durations. Acetoacetic acid resulted in the highest loss of viability (3.4 ± 0.7% viable), while magnesium sulphate resulted in the least effect (88.5 ± 1.2% viable). In conclusion the use of the selected reagents in the detection of these eggs was found to affect the viability of exposed eggs, especially during prolonged exposures. Therefore we recommended that eggs be exposed for ≤ 5 minutes, to reduce the risk of viability loss.

The use of sludge in agriculture has been encouraged as a means of increasing soil nutrient content and improving the water holding capacity. On the negative side, major public health concerns with sludge application prevail, mainly due to the high concentration of pathogenic microorganisms. Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are of major health concern in this regard, especially in endemic regions, mainly due to the high environmental resistant of the eggs combined with a low infectious dose. In this study the concentration of STH eggs in two months dried sludge from Durban, South Africa and Dakar, Senegal was determined and compared. Sampling was carried out from January to October 2016 and in September 2016 for Dakar. Ascaris spp, hookworm, Trichuris spp, Taenia spp and Toxocara spp were the commonly recorded STH eggs. STH egg concentrations were higher in Dakar than in Durban, with viable STH egg concentrations exceeding both local and international guidelines. Due to the high concentration of viable STH eggs, risks of Ascaris spp infection was very high for farmers applying this sludge on their farms in both Durban (7.9 × 10−1 (±1.7 × 10−2)) and Dakar (9.9 × 10−1 (±1.3 × 10−5)). Consumption of lettuce grown on sludge amended soil will result in probable infections but harvest after 30 days between sludge application and harvest in Durban gave median probability infection risks with a risk level similar to the WHO tolerable risk value (10−4). This time period need to be prolonged to harvest in Dakar to 40 days to reduce the risks of infection to the tolerable risks values. Further treatment of the sludge either through composting or drying for longer periods of time is thus recommended from a public health perspective., Highlights • Sludge contained high concentration of viable STH eggs after 60 days of drying. • The concentration of these eggs exceeded both national and international guidelines for reuse. • Farmers and consumers of the farm produce are likely to be infected with Ascaris spp. • Further treatment of the sludge is thus recommended from a public health perspective.

Wastewater irrigation is associated with several benefits but can also lead to significant health risks. The health risk for contracting infections from Soil Transmitted Helminths (STHs) among farmers has mainly been assessed indirectly through measured quantities in the wastewater or on the crops alone and only on a limited scale through epidemiological assessments. In this study we broadened the concept of infection risks in the exposure assessments by measurements of the concentration of STHs both in wastewater used for irrigation and the soil, as well as the actual load of STHs ova in the stool of farmers and their family members (165 and 127 in the wet and dry seasons respectively) and a control group of non-farmers (100 and 52 in the wet and dry seasons, respectively). Odds ratios were calculated for exposure and non-exposure to wastewater irrigation. The results obtained indicate positive correlation between STH concentrations in irrigation water/soil and STHs ova as measured in the stool of the exposed farmer population. The correlations are based on reinfection during a 3 months period after prior confirmed deworming. Farmers and family members exposed to irrigation water were three times more likely as compared to the control group of non-farmers to be infected with Ascaris (OR = 3.9, 95% CI, 1.15–13.86) and hookworm (OR = 3.07, 95% CI, 0.87–10.82). This study therefore contributes to the evidence-based conclusion that wastewater irrigation contributes to a higher incidence of STHs infection for farmers exposed annually, with higher odds of infection in the wet season., Author Summary Wastewater irrigation in agriculture is a common reality in many developing cities, linked to rapid urbanization. Approximately 50%-90% of urban dwellers in West Africa consume wastewater/ polluted surface water irrigated-vegetables within cities with 10% of the population involved in the practice. Viral, bacterial and parasitic pathogens can all be found in wastewater putting exposed populations at risk of pathogenic infections. The biggest risk however is to helminth infections, due to their long survival time in the environment. Wastewater irrigation has been practiced in Ghana for many years, however few studies have investigated the epidemiological link between the practice and helminth infections among the farmers. In this study the authors measured the helminth ova concentration in wastewater used for irrigation and the infection loads of farmers as well as a non-farmer control group in Ghana. They reported high concentrations of helminth ova in the wastewater as well as soil on the farms, above the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for wastewater irrigation, which resulted in a three times higher probability of infections with helminths for farmers as compared to the non-farmer control group. This research provides information on the direct link between wastewater irrigation and helminth infection in exposed individuals.