• Parasitic infections common in kids in l

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Fri Mar 3 21:30:26 2023
    Parasitic infections common in kids in low-resource US communities


    Date:
    March 3, 2023
    Source:
    Washington University in St. Louis
    Summary:
    Neglected by government officials and medical professionals,
    parasitic infections can lead to lifelong health consequences,
    according to a biological anthropologist.


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    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    Most Americans view parasitic infections as a problem of the past or
    one that only impacts low-income countries. However, new research from Washington University in St. Louis finds evidence that the problem is
    likely widespread in low-resource communities throughout southern United
    States where environmental conditions combined with infrastructural
    neglect and inadequate access to health care create the perfect breeding
    ground for these infections.


    ==========================================================================
    In a small, preliminary study published on March 2 in American Journal
    of Human Biology, 38% of children sampled from a rural Mississippi
    Delta community were found to have either parasitic worms or protist
    infections -- a single-cell parasitic organisms that can negatively
    impact intestinal health.

    Parasitic infections are a neglected health issue in low-resource
    communities, according to Theresa Gildner, study co-author and
    assistant professor of biological anthropology in Arts & Sciences at
    WashU. School-age children are especially at risk for these infections
    due to increased exposure through play, poor hand hygiene and their still-developing immune systems.

    Left untreated, the infections can lead to nutritional deficiencies and lifelong health consequences. Gildner said many of the community members
    they worked with during this project expressed frustration with state
    and federal governments that do not listen to their concerns related to
    these issues.

    "This is a failure of all levels of government to provide basic services
    to vulnerable citizens. Health conditions -- including parasitic and
    intestinal infections -- linked with poor sanitation will likely worsen
    in coming years as climate change and associated extreme weather events
    further strain already weak infrastructure systems," said Gildner,
    an expert on parasitic disease and health disparities.

    According to Gildner, President Biden's infrastructure bill is a step
    in the right direction, but more work is needed in the near future to
    invest in crumbling infrastructure.

    "I do not know if President Biden's infrastructure bill will directly help
    the communities where we have worked -- we haven't heard anything from our community partners -- but I think there could be indirect benefits. For instance, drawing more attention to the immediate need for investment in failing infrastructure may lead to more localized projects that benefit
    these communities," she said.

    But any efforts to address these infrastructure needs should start
    with direct and respectful community engagement by locally elected
    officials. After all, she said, "Individuals living in these communities
    have the best sense of what the issues are through their lived experiences
    and may have ideas for what is most needed to improve conditions in their specific community." This is a failure of all levels of government to
    provide basic services to vulnerable citizens. Health conditions --
    including parasitic and intestinal infections -- linked with poor
    sanitation will likely worsen in coming years as climate change
    and associated extreme weather events further strain already weak infrastructure systems.

    About the research Understanding U.S. infection patterns -- including
    the current extent of parasitic infections and key sources of exposure --
    is critical to improving health outcomes, Gildner said. Previous studies
    in the U.S. have been case- based or focused exclusively on immigrant populations. Very few surveys have been conducted in regions with the
    most risk factors for exposure.

    In the summer of 2019, members of the Rural Embodiment and Community
    Health (REACH) research team -- led by Gildner and Tara J. Cepon-Robins, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), and including WashU biologist Elizabeth K. Mallott and
    former UCCS undergraduate student Isabella C. Recca -- traveled to the
    rural Mississippi Delta to conduct preliminary research in the community.

    They chose to direct their focus on a small, predominantly Black, rural community that is frequently affected by flooding and sewage backups
    due to community-reported infrastructural neglect.

    In total, 24 children -- including 12 boys and 12 girls ranging in
    age from infant to 14 years old -- from 12 households participated in
    the study.

    Altogether, 38% of the children were found to have one or both types of parasitic infections.

    Contrary to expectations, they found no significant differences in
    infection status based on age, sex or household size, although Gildner acknowledges that could be due to the relatively small sample size. She
    hopes ongoing research with a larger dataset will allow the team to
    better test these patterns in the near future.

    Last summer, the team collected additional samples from adults and in the
    same Mississippi community, as well as in East St. Louis in a community
    facing similar issues related to failing infrastructure, persistent
    flooding and sewage backups, Gildner said. The team also is analyzing soil samples collected from various shared community spaces during the 2022
    trip to better examine these patterns. And plans are underway to collect additional data in other Mississippi Delta communities this summer.

    Education is key Lack of education is one of the reasons why parasitic infections often go undetected.

    "One interesting thing that we noticed during our 2019 visit to
    Mississippi is that some of the grandparents we spoke to were aware of
    the threat posed by parasite infections locally because they had heard
    of these issues as children," Gildner said. "One grandparent told us
    they remembered public health educational programs that discussed the
    risks posed by hookworm infection and encouraged community members to
    wear shoes outdoors to prevent infection.

    "However, that messaging stopped after their early childhood and they had always wondered why no one talked about these infections anymore. This
    kind of messaging could be relatively straightforward to implement,
    although basic information on key parasite infections would have to
    be provided since many people are no longer aware of these diseases."
    Even health care providers often assume that parasitic infection risk
    is greatest for Americans traveling abroad. Educating health care
    providers about the threat posed by parasitic infections in the U.S.,
    how to recognize symptoms and test appropriately is key.

    "Without this basic medical knowledge, diagnoses may be missed and
    treatment delayed," Gildner said. "For instance, one participant this
    past summer had been diagnosed with Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium we
    have recently started studying that can cause stomach ulcers and certain gastric cancers in severe cases. However, she told us it took months and
    visits to multiple doctors before she was properly tested and diagnosed,
    in large part due to the assumption that symptomatic cases of this
    bacterial infection aren't a significant concern in the U.S." Although it
    is an option for regions suffering from heavy parasitic infection rates, preventative mass drug administration is not a practical first step to addressing the problem, Gildner explained. There's not enough public
    awareness of the conditions and the safe effective drugs used to treat
    common parasite infections are incredibly expensive in the U.S., she said.

    However, Gildner would like to see more government investment in research
    at other locations across the U.S. to help clarify the current extent
    of parasite infections and identify key sources of exposure that could
    be targeted to improve health outcomes.

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    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
    Washington_University_in_St._Louis. Original written by Sara Savat. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Tara J. Cepon‐Robins, Elizabeth K. Mallott, Isabella C. Recca,
    Theresa E. Gildner. Evidence and potential drivers of neglected
    parasitic helminth and protist infections among a small preliminary
    sample of children from rural Mississippi. American Journal of
    Human Biology, 2023; DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23889 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230303105241.htm

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