Parásitos en arenas de parques públicos de Ciudad del Este – Alto Paraná, Paraguay, 2019-2020

The presence of parasites in the arenas of squares and parks can put the health of children and the people who go to them at risk. The objective of the study was the description of the types of parasites found in the sands of the public parks of Ciudad del Este. An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out in 15 parks in Ciudad del Este, during the months of October 2019 to February 2020. 71 samples were collected, under the existing conditions in the site, in a portion of soil measuring 10 cm long, 10 cm wide and 3 cm deep, approximately 200 g of sand was taken with a garden shovel, wearing gloves and placing it in a sterile and hermetically sealed plastic bag. For the search and identification of the parasites, the Willis flotation and Ritchie centrifugation technique was used. Of the 15 parks, 53.3% (n = 8) presented a sand sample contaminated with parasites. Of the (n = 71) samples obtained in the 15 parks, 15.5% (n = 11) presented helminth eggs, Toxocara sp 11.3% (n = 8) and the cestode Dipylidium caninum 1.4% (n = 1). Vacuolated forms of the protozoan Blastocystis hominis were also found, corresponding to 1.4% (n = 1) and Entamoeba coli cysts 1.4% (n = 1). Several parasites were found, mainly from the helminth family, which can pose a risk to users. People must be made aware of hand washing, especially children, and the presence of animals in parks should be limited.