Status of intestinal helminthic infections of borderline residents in North Korea.
10.3347/kjp.2006.44.3.265
- Author:
Shunyu LI
1
;
Chenghua SHEN
;
Min Ho CHOI
;
Young Mee BAE
;
Hiwon YOON
;
Sung Tae HONG
Author Information
1. Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 110-799, Korea. hst@snu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Brief Communication ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords:
Ascaris;
Trichuris;
egg positive rate;
refugee;
North Korea
- MeSH:
Trichuris/*growth & development;
Trichuriasis/*epidemiology;
Male;
Korea/epidemiology;
Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/*epidemiology/parasitology;
Humans;
Female;
Child;
Ascaris/*growth & development;
Ascariasis/*epidemiology;
Animals;
Adult;
Adolescent
- From:The Korean Journal of Parasitology
2006;44(3):265-268
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
The present authors investigated intestinal parasitic infections among North Korean residents and refugees in China in 2003. The Kato-Katz method was applied to 236 residents and soldiers in a town on the North Korea-China border and to 46 people at a refugee camp in China. Only eggs of Ascaris and Trichuris were detected, with egg positive rates of 41.1% and 37.6%, respectively. The total egg positive rate was 55.0% and most of those who were egg positive were only lightly infected. Women of 61.2% and men of 53.1% were egg positive. The refugees from rural areas showed higher egg positive rates than those from urban areas. The present investigation confirmed high prevalence of soil-transmitted intestinal helminths in rural borderline areas of North Korea.
