1.Titiwangsa Lake a source of urban parasitic contamination
Azlan, A. Majid. ; Rasid, M.N. ; Richard, R.L. ; Mahboob, T. ; Jaturas, N. ; Tan, T.C. ; Lim, Y.A.L. ; Nissapatorn, V.
Tropical Biomedicine 2016;33(3):594-598
Urban recreational lake acts as a source of waterborne parasites contamination,
as reported in 2013 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. This scenario will lead to the
transmission of waterborne diseases due to exposure of water-related activities by humans.
This study was conducted to reveal the occurrence of common waterborne parasites in a
urban lake (i.e. Titiwangsa Lake). The lake is situated in the city of Kuala Lumpur and is
known to be overcrowded with vast activities participated by both local and tourist. Results
of study showed the presence of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, free-living amoeba, and helminthlike
ova from the lake.
2.Soil-Transmitted Helminths in Malaysia landscape: an aborigines study
Brandon-Mong, G.J. ; Abdullah, N.A. ; Shukor, N. ; Jaturas, N. ; Richard, R.L. ; Choo, J.C. ; Majid, M.A.A. ; Mahboob, T. ; Tan, T.C. ; Nissapatorn, V.
Tropical Biomedicine 2017;34(2):363-374
Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) is a group of parasitic nematodes, including
Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus,
which can cause gastrointestinal disorders in humans. STH is prevalent among neglected
communities in both developing and developed countries. This present study aims to determine
the current prevalence of STH infections in Aboriginal population after mass delivering of
antihelminthic drugs was proposed by WHO in 2005 and a health education learning package
(HELP) was initiated in Malaysia in 2012. A total of 235 human fecal samples were collected
and a pre-tested questionnaire was given to gather information about the socio-demographic
of the Aborigine communities living in Kedah and Selangor, Malaysia. The samples were
screened by a direct-fecal smear and confirmed by formalin-ether sedimentation methods.
From human faeces, 81.7% was found to be infected with one or more STH species. T.
trichiura was the most commonly detected (76.6%), followed by hookworms (26.4%) and A.
lumbricoides (19.1%). Triple infections were found in 6.4% of the studied population. Univariate
analysis showed that individuals with age group, male, presence of indoor toilet, family size
with <7 members and bad living habits (i.e., without antihelminthic drugs) were significantly
associated with STH infections. The analysis further showed that walking barefoot was the
significant contributing factor to hookworm infections. The high prevalence of human STH
infections is alarming. Thus, the urgency in implementing health education related behavioral
practice and hygiene to reduce disease burden in these rural communities are a crucial need.
3.Epidemiological study of human intestinal parasites in Sarawak, East Malaysia: A review
Tahar, A.S. ; Bilung, L.M. ; Apun, K. ; Richard, R.L. ; Lim, Y.A.L.
Tropical Biomedicine 2021;38(No.3):377-386
Intestinal parasitic infections are endemic in rural settings and may account for asymptomatic infections to various health complications. These infections are a cause of concern for communities of lower economic status, especially in developing countries. In Sarawak, indigenous populations residing in geographically inaccessible areas are socially and economically disadvantaged. Through close association with nature, these populations are prone to intestinal parasitism. Currently, scattered information has led to a continual state of neglect at each level of parasitic infection control. This urges for a review of their distribution and transmission based on previous reports to understand the pattern of the diseases in the state which can further address the improvement of mass controlling programs. A literature search was conducted to collect previous reports on human intestinal parasites in Sarawak, East Malaysia from PubMed (Medline), SCOPUS, ScienceDirect and Web of Science from January 2019 to March 2021. Extrapolating the current data in Sarawak which is still considered limited, further interdisciplinary strategies are demanded to give insights in the epidemiology and true prevalence of intestinal parasites in Sarawak. This review addresses for redirection of attitude towards intestinal parasitic infections where it should be given with ample attention by rural populations. In tandem to that, improvement of rural livelihood such as standard of living and sanitation in Sarawak should be accredited as part of the efforts to reduce the number of intestinal parasitic infections in the state. As a control measure, mass deworming should be reconsidered especially to the rural populations.