Giardiasis in children

Giardiasis is produced by unicellular parasites called Giardia lamblia that can be found all over the world, especially in areas of poor sanitation, unsafe water. The World Health Organization reported that 200 million people in Asia, Africa and Latin America have symptoms of giardiasis with some 500,000 new cases a year, especially among children.

Giardiasis has been reported to be associated with delayed growth in malnourished children under 5 living in low- and middle-income countries.

Infection with Giardia lamblia may manifest in a wide spectrum that includes asymptomatic carrier status, principally in adults, and acute and chronic diarrhea with or without evident signs of malabsorption, failure to thrive or lack of weight gain, mostly observed in children. Researchers have indicated that children with recurrent attacks of diarrheal episodes are susceptible to malnutrition.

A study conducted in Malawi among 6-to-18-month-old children reported association between asymptomatic giardia infection and growth retardation, particularly stunting. (Acta Paediatr. 2019, 108, 1833–1840)

Reported prevalence of giardiasis in Brazilian children vary from up to 14.6% among diarrhea cases within a specific population to 78.3% among day-care and school settings.
Giardiasis in children