ABSTRACT
Transmission of intestinal parasites takes place directly or indirectly through fecally contaminated objects or water. The majority of these parasites do not require intermediate hosts and have a wider distribution than those which do require them. For survival and development, most intestinal parasites have specific climatic requirements which influence their distribution. Intestinal parasitism is widespread in Ethiopia, largely due to poverty, low level of environmental sanitation, and ignorance of simple health promotion practices. The Ethiopian literature on intestinal parasitism before the revolution was reviewed by K. F. Schaller and W. Kuls and up to 1985 by Tesfa-Yohannes and Kloos. Intestinal parasitism accounted for 8.5% of all male and 10.4% of all female outpatient visits in Ethiopia in 1988–1989. One of the highest prevalence rates of intestinal parasitism in a representative population in Ethiopia was reported for 14,465 Falasha immigrants in Israel.
