Around 1,000 children aged between five and fourteen from Caxito, Úcua and Mabubas, in Bengo province, are participating in a study on the epidemiological relationship between the prevalence of asthma, atopy (breathing allergy) and helminthiasis (intestinal parasites) through to 3 November.

Bengo province is an Angolan region with a high incidence of helminthic infection with the objective of studying the relationship between this type of infection and its association to atopy and asthma.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the air passages characterised by recurrent episodes of wheezing, dyspnoea, thoracic oppression and coughing especially at night or in the morning.

The majority of asthma cases generally begin during infancy or adolescence in individuals that react to common aeroallergens and mediated by mechanisms interconnected with atopy. Intestinal parasites include a large group of microorganisms of which the protozoans and the helminths are the most representative.

The faecal-oral pathway is the leading means of transmission taking place via water or contaminated foodstuffs. The most common parasites come from the group of nematode helminths, in particular Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworms, especially Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale.

Various environmental factors have been identified as factors of risk for atopy and asthma. These infections, especially by geo-helminths, are receiving some attention in terms of ongoing research.