356 Chapter 15 PARASITOLOGY IN NURSING PRACTICE Winifreda 0. Ubas-de Leon INTRODUCTION Nurses perform important roles in the delivery of basic health services, both in the rural and urban settings. They conduct health promotion, health maintenanc e and disease prevention activities as health team members with U1cse designated bealth education functions. They are challenged to help improve healtb and living conditions through family and comm. unity empowerment. Recent studies have documented the importance of political advocacy and client empowerment to prevent and control communicable diseases in the community (Maglaya 1999; de las Llagas 1-999). Apart from the nurses· major role on health promotion and maintenance, anotl1er critica J area of concern is related with managing health 1,Jroblems/diseases in many parts of the Philippines, especia JJy in doctor-less rural villages where communicable diseases are prevalent. Competencies on accurate diagnosis for prompt and appropriate treatment are necessary for client care. lbischapterwilldealbasica Jl ywithparasitesasca usativeagentsofselectedcom~uunicable diseases encountered in community nursing practice. Some of the diseases, like malaria, filariasis and scbistosomiasis. are endemic in specific communities because of the presence of vectors or intermediate hosts in the locality. Others are prevalent among population groups and marginalized cultural/ethnic communities where unsafe drinking water supply, unsanitary waste disposal and unhygieni c practices are still lhe prevailing conditions. Sections of this chapter \,ill discuss the life cycle of each parasite to illustrate lhe foci of prevention and control measures. Appropriate I aboratory tests for diagnosis and management options for the communicable diseases are also specified. Discussion on the laboratory procedures can be utilized either as requ L,;ite competency for appropriate referral lo laboratory facilities or as additional diagnostic skill that L11e oun-e practitioner can learn for prompt and appropriate treatment. This competency is especially useful in areas where laboratory technicians are not accessible and drug resistance is becoming a big problem as a consequence of use of radical treatment without laboratory confinnati on of presenting signs and ~-ymptoms. THE PARASITES Parasites are organisms that live in or on the body of another organism for survival The primary needs of the parasite such as food and shelter are provided by that otller org;misrn technically know11 as the host. This relationship can be best exemplified by man as the host and hook-worm as the parasite. Parasitic organisms are found practicall y everywhere: air, food, water, soil, inanimate objects like linen and clothing. Some are carried by insects like bugs, flies and mosquitoes, while some sunrive in some animals like swine, cow and cattle. While majorit:y of the parasites are found within or inside the body of a host, there are those that are found outside tl1e body of the host like skin miles and head Hee. 