Abstract :

Background: Intestinal Parasitic Infections (IPIs), particularly soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), remain a significant burden for children in low-and middle-income countries. Coastal ecosystems that characterized by sandy soil, high water tables, and tidal flooding, present unique ecological determinants that create transmission pathways distinct from inland settings.

Methods: This review synthesizes data from over 50 studies (2000–2025), specifically focusing on coastal settlements, fishermen villages, and tidal flood-prone areas across Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

Results: Findings indicate that coastal children face elevated risks, with STH prevalence in Indonesian hotspots reaching 30%–70%. While Trichuris trichiura and Ascaris lumbricoides dominate due to humidity, sandy terrains specifically favor the persistence of hookworms and Strongyloides. Crucially, high water tables and tidal inundation render conventional sanitation (pit latrines/septic tanks) ineffective, causing direct fecal contamination of the environment.

Conclusion: Standard terrestrial sanitation is maladapted to coastal hydrological contexts. Mitigation requires the deployment of amphibious infrastructure, such as the Tripikon-S system and elevated latrines, combined with targeted behavioral change communication to disrupt littoral transmission cycles.

---

Keywords :

Children’s Health, Coastal Sanitation, Environmental Health, Hookworm, Indonesia, Intestinal Parasitic Infection, Soil-transmitted helminths, Tidal Flooding

---

References :

1. Renaldy RBY, Aflahudin MAN, Salma Z, et al. Intestinal Parasitic Infection, The Use of Latrine, and Clean Water Source In Elementary School Children At Coastal And Non-Coastal Areas, Sumenep District, Indonesia. Indones J Trop Infect Dis. 2021;9(1):16.
2. Richert W, Kołodziej D, Zarudzka D, et al. Intestinal Parasites and Hematological Parameters in Children Living in Ambatoboeny District, Madagascar. Pathogens. 2024;13(11):930.
3. Aung E, Han KT, Gordon CA, et al. High prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections in Myanmar schoolchildren. Infect Dis Poverty. 2022;11(1):28.
4. Fauziah N, Aviani JK, Agrianfanny YN, et al. Intestinal Parasitic Infection and Nutritional Status in Children under Five Years Old: A Systematic Review. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2022;7(11):371.
5. Le HT, Brouwer ID, Verhoef H, et al. Anemia and intestinal parasite infection in school children in rural Vietnam. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr [Internet]. 2007;16(4).
6. Lim-Leroy A, Chua TH. Prevalence and risk factors of geohelminthiasis among the rural village children in Kota Marudu, Sabah, Malaysia. PloS One. 2020;15(9):e0239680.
7. Kirk RS, Kennedy CR, Lewis JW. Effect of salinity on hatching, survival and infectivity of Anguillicola crassus (Nematoda: Dracunculoidea) larvae. Dis Aquat Organ. 2000;40(3):211–218.
8. Sofiyah ES, Suryawan IWK. Adaptive management for coastal sanitation governance in Jakarta, Indonesia. Int J Mar Eng Innov Res. 2025;10(2):443–445.
9. Mationg MLS, Tallo VL, Williams GM, et al. The control of soil-transmitted helminthiases in the Philippines: the story continues. Infect Dis Poverty. 2021;10(1):85.
10. Abebaw A, Demeke G, Mengist HM, et al. Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites and Associated Factors Among Public Primary Second-Cycle Schoolchildren in Debre Markos Town, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study. Health Sci Rep. 2025;8(1):e70339.
11. Belizario V, Cubarrubias D, Ong LA, et al. Soil-transmitted helminthiases in school-age children following more than a decade of control program implementation in Roxas City. 2022;15:48.
12. Wijaya W, Pasaribu AP, Yanni GN, et al. Correlation between Soil-transmitted Helminths and Anemia Incidence in Primary School Children in Talawi, Batubara Regency. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2021;9(T3):325–329.
13. Kusumasari RA, Adi H, Satoto TBT, et al. Malnutrition among children under 7 years of age linked to ascariasis: evidence from West Sumba, Indonesia, despite ongoing deworming program. BMC Public Health. 2025;25(1):3920.
14. Mihai P, Corina P. Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections among Children in Europe over the Last Five Years. 2021;
15. Mabaso MLH, Appleton CC, Hughes JC, et al. Hookworm (Necator americanus) transmission in inland areas of sandy soils in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Trop Med Int Health TM IH. 2004;9(4):471–476.
16. Mangali A, Sasabone P, Syafruddin null, et al. Intestinal parasitic infections in Campalagian district, south Sulawesi, Indonesia. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 1993;24(2):313–320.
17. Kusumasari RA, Satoto TBT, Murhandarwati EEH. Malnutrition among children under 7 years of age linked to ascariasis: evidence from West Sumba, Indonesia. 2024;
18. Tekalign E, Sebeta A, Nureye D, et al. Intestinal parasitic infections among children aged 7–14 years in Mizan-Aman city, Southwest Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study. Front Public Health. 2024;12:1478293.
19. Choi B, Kim B. Prevalence and Risk Factors of Intestinal Parasite Infection among Schoolchildren in the Peripheral Highland Regions of Huanuco, Peru. Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2017;8(5):302–307.
20. Mationg MLS, Williams GM, Tallo VL, et al. Soil-transmitted helminth infections and nutritional indices among Filipino schoolchildren. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021;15(12):e0010008.
21. Nhu DD, Ly TT, Canh HD, et al. High prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths among primary students in Ha Giang, Vietnam: A descriptive cross-sectional study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2025;104(3):e41120.
22. van der Hoek W, De NV, Konradsen F. Current status of soil-transmitted helminths in Vietnam. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health [Internet]. 2003;34(1).
23. Laoraksawong P, Suntaraluk A, Kongnil W, et al. Prevalence of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections and Associated Risk Factors among Schoolchildren in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Iran J Parasitol. 2020;15(3):440–445.
24. Mohd Johari S.N., Tan PY, Loganathan R, et al. Unveiling soil-transmitted helminth infections and associated risk factors in rural primary schoolchildren in Malaysia. Trop Biomed. 2024;41(3):345–355.
25. Wattano S, Kerdpunya K, Keawphanuk P, et al. An Epidemiological Survey of Intestinal Parasitic Infection and the Socioeconomic Status of the Ethnic Minority People of Moken and Orang Laut. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2023;8(3):161.
26. Oo SM, Tun A, Htoon TT, et al. Soil-transmitted helminthiasis among school-aged children in Myanmar: the result of 14 years after the implementation of deworming. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2020;8(1):9.
27. Brooker S, Bethony J, Hotez PJ. Human hookworm infection in the 21st century. Adv Parasitol. 2004;58:197–288.
28. Sedionoto B, Anamnart W. Prevalence of Hookworm Infection in Schoolchildren with Deference Geography Areas in Indonesia. In: Tama TD, Mawarni D, Deniati EN, et al., editors. Proc 5th Int Sci Meet Public Health Sports ISMoPHS 2023 [Internet]. Dordrecht: Atlantis Press International BV; 2023 [cited 2026 Jan 13]. p. 246–257. Available from: https://www.atlantis-press.com/doi/10.2991/978-94-6463-320-7_24.
29. Chai J-Y, Yang SK, Kim JW, et al. High Prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis Infection among Schoolchildren in Three Townships around Yangon, Myanmar. Korean J Parasitol. 2015;53(6):771–775.
30. Mekonnen Z, Getachew M, Bogers J, et al. Assessment of seasonality in soil-transmitted helminth infections across 14 schools in Jimma Town, Ethiopia. Pan Afr Med J. 2019;32:6.
31. O’Donnell CJ, Meyer KB, Jones JV, et al. Survival of parasite eggs upon storage in sludge. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1984;48(3):618–625.
32. Ekobol N, Boonjaraspinyo S, Eamudomkarn C, et al. Tricky with Heat and Salt: Soil Factors, Thermotaxis, and Potential for Heat-Saline Agar Trapping of Strongyloides Larvae. Biology. 2025;14(5):559.
33. Measures LN. Effect of temperature and salinity on development and survival of eggs and free-living larvae of sealworm ( Pseudoterranova decipiens ). Can J Fish Aquat Sci. 1996;53(12):2804–2807.
34. Nielsen AL, Spence KO, Nakatani J, et al. Effect of soil salinity on entomopathogenic nematode survival and behaviour. Nematology. 2011;13(7):859–867.
35. Yu A, Vannatta JTrevor, Gutierrez SO, et al. Opportunity or catastrophe? effect of sea salt on host-parasite survival and reproduction. Attwood SW, editor. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022;16(2):e0009524.
36. Ajisuksmo CRP, Iustitiani NSD. The Implementation of Community Based on Total Sanitation among Fisherman Families in West Java. J Kesehat Masy. 2020;16(2):225–232.
37. Dzilfiyah, Melizza N, Kurnia AD, et al. Determinant Factors That Influence Open Defecation Behavior In Rural Communities In Indonesia. Media Keperawatan Indones [Internet]. 2022;5(3).
38. Narayani DA, Ali S, Surja SS, et al. Common intestinal parasitic infections in an improved water access, sanitation, and hygiene profile setting in North Jakarta, Indonesia. Narra J. 2024;4(3):e1264.
39. Halomoan N, Syakinah S, Soewondo P, et al. Domestic wastewater treatment using modified tripikon-S with pumice filters as support media. J Ecol Eng. 2025;26(9):144–156.
40. Nizam, Prodjopangarso H. Tripikon-S: UGM’s Invention to Address Environmental Pollution in Wirosobo Tourism Village. 2025; Available from: https://ugm.ac.id/en/news/tripikon-s-ugms-invention-to-address-environmental-pollution-in-wirosobo-tourism-village/.
41. Adrizain R, Nagari MV, Sukandar H, et al. Surveillance of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection in Preschool Child Population: Do Changes in Behavior and Immunological Responses Affect Prevalence? Trop Med Infect Dis. 2024;9(2):33.