Background Children are especially vulnerable to Toxocara infection and its severe complications; however, there have not been any published data on the disease prevalence and treatment effectiveness in the population of Vietnamese children. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of toxocariasis and explore factors associated with Toxocara infection in children aged 3–15 y in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using a multistage cluster sampling approach in public schools. Blood samples were collected, and toxocariasis cases were confirmed, based on a history of contact with dogs/cats and positive anti-Toxocara antibody detection via ELISA. We calculated the percentage of seropositive children across gender, grade levels, districts and caregiver education. Multiple regression models were employed to identify potential risk factors. Results Anti-Toxocara antibodies were found in 14.2% of the 986 children studied. Significant variations in seropositivity were observed across grade levels, districts and caregiver education levels. Multivariable analysis identified caregiver education, contact with dogs/cats and improper handling of pet feces as seropositivity risk factors. Conclusion This was the first community-based prevalence study of toxocariasis in a pediatric population in Vietnam. Implementation of preventive measures such as public education, routine fecal examinations and chemotherapeutic treatment of animals is highly recommended.

中文翻译：

---

越南胡志明市儿童弓蛔虫病血清流行率及相关危险因素：基于学校的横断面研究结果

背景 儿童特别容易受到弓蛔虫感染及其严重并发症；然而，目前还没有任何关于越南儿童人群中疾病患病率和治疗效果的公开数据。本研究旨在确定越南胡志明市 3-15 岁儿童弓蛔虫病的患病率并探讨与弓蛔虫感染相关的因素。方法 我们采用多阶段整群抽样方法在公立学校进行了一项横断面研究。收集血样，根据与狗/猫的接触史和通过 ELISA 检测出抗弓蛔虫抗体呈阳性来确认弓蛔虫病病例。我们计算了不同性别、年级、地区和照顾者教育程度的血清反应阳性儿童的百分比。采用多元回归模型来识别潜在的风险因素。结果 在所研究的 986 名儿童中，14.2% 发现了抗弓蛔虫抗体。在不同年级、地区和护理人员教育水平之间观察到血清阳性率存在显着差异。多变量分析确定护理人员教育、与狗/猫的接触以及宠物粪便处理不当是血清阳性的危险因素。结论 这是第一项以社区为基础的越南儿科弓蛔虫病患病率研究。强烈建议采取公共教育、常规粪便检查和动物化疗等预防措施。