Prevalence of Soil-Transmitted Helminthic Infection in India in Current Scenario: A Systematic Review

Introduction: The intestinal nematodes infestation in tropical and sub-tropical countries is mostly attributed to roundworms, hookworms and whipworms. India is one of the largest contributors to the global burden of soil-transmitted helminthes (STH) with a national population prevalence estimated to be 21% by Global Atlas of Helminth Infections (GAHI), as per data prior to 2007. Objective: We aimed to perform a systematic review of available studies on prevalence of soil-transmitted helminthic infections, namely Ascaris lumbricoides (AL), Ancylostoma duodenale (AD) and Trichuris trichiura (TT) in India for the period 2008 to 2015. Materials and Methods: Online databases and printed material were searched using keywords on soil-transmitted helminths. Results: 18 articles were included in the study. The overall prevalence of STH was in range 7.56 to 78.27%. The prevalence of AL, AD and TT in these studies was in range between 0.4 to 71.87%, 0.14 to 42% and 0.3 to 29.57%, respectively. Most studies 17 (94.4%) revealed polytypic infection. All except the western region states had higher prevalence. Most studies employed WHO-recommended Kato-Katz technique. Conclusion: The prevalence of STH continues to be high in this country and requires systemic implementation of STH control activities to reduce the intestinal helminthic burden.