Parasitosis in Patanatic, Guatemala

Britta Smith

Patanatic, Guatemalain the state of Sololá

ObjectiveTo explore intestinal parasitosis in rural communities in Guatemala, looking at modes of transmission Parasitosis is an infection of the

body, in this case, the intestines, by parasites. The two main types of parasites that cause this infection are worms (helminths) and single-celled organisms called protozoa. Intestinal parasites are acquired through via contact with infected feces through contaminated soil, food, water, etc.

Background▪ Unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing were listed as top

risk factors driving death and disability in Guatemala (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 2017).

▪ In Guatemala, food- and water-borne diseases such as parasitosis and acute diarrhea account for 17.2% of all illnesses and 22.8% of all illnesses in children aged 1-4 (Segeplán, 2015).

▪ Based on data from the Patanatic clinic, out of 65 water filters examined in January 2017, 19 had functional issues with 2 of them being entirely non-functional (Lesniewski, 2017).

▪ These same data revealed that of 149 patients seen in January 2017 at the clinic, 17 had complaints of gastrointestinal issues.

Description of Site● Patanatic is a community about 20 minutes away from Panajachel. The

community is geographically divided into four sectors. These sectors wind their way up a mountain. The clinic is situated between sectors one and two. Sector three is a brief uphill walk from the clinic, and sector four is a strenuous uphill hike to the top of the mountain.

Description of Clinic● The clinic is a small building with a

waiting room and check-in area with equipment for taking vitals and measurements. This room leads to a hallway with three clinic rooms where patients meet with a nurse who acts as their primary care provider. There is a small pharmacy with drugs for common ailments.

Intestinal Parasitosis Interventions● Two ways to prevent intestinal parasites are practicing hand hygiene and

drinking clean water.

● In our visit to a school in Patanatic, we gave a lecture to the students discussing the importance of these and other topics (with the help of Esteban’s Spanish skills). We additionally made posters that will be used to continue to educate students on this and other important topics.

Intestinal Parasitosis Interventions (cont.)● Continuing to provide school-based interventions educating students on

hand hygiene and the importance of drinking clean water will help spread information and good habits throughout the community (Young et al., 2015).

● Additionally, reaching out to the community to encourage use and maintenance of water filters can help encourage safe water practices.

Conclusions● Because the major sources of parasitic infections come from

contaminated food and water, encouraging the practice of food safety, hand hygiene, and preparing and drinking clean water will help minimize the risk and spread of intestinal parasites.

● School-based educational interventions, education at the clinic community, and outreach by the nurses can help the community combat this and other food- and water-borne illnesses.

Clinical Experience● This trip was a great

opportunity to practice caring for individuals across the lifespan. It was also a great chance to work with some of my classmates and get the chance to take care of people using the combined skills and knowledge of our team.

Cultural Experience● Getting the opportunity

to work with the translators we were assigned was such a blessing. These three people were so wonderful to learn from and trade stories with.

ReferencesHewitt, E. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154430385514482&set=t.1841957614&type=3&theater

Lesniewski, C. (2017). 2017 Patanatic clinic data [Microsoft Excel spreadsheet].

University of Maryland Medical Center. (2016). Intestinal parasites. Retrieved March 28, 2017, from http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/intestinal-parasites

Sacuj, K. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1835803810025992&set=a.1533685570237819.1073741830.100007891711738&type=3&theater

Segeplán. (2015). Informe final de cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. Guatemala: Segeplán 2015.

Young, I., Waddell, L., Harding, S., Greig, J., Mascarenhas, M., Sivaramalingam, B., ... & Papadopoulos, A. (2015). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of food safety education interventions for consumers in developed countries. BMC public health, 15(1), 822.