Rationale and Background: : Parasitic infections remain a significant public health concern in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.5 billion people worldwide are affected by soil-transmitted parasitic infection. These infections are particularly prevalent in tropical regions, with over 267 million preschool-aged children and 568 million school-aged children infected. Objectives: : To establish the prevalence of parasitic infections and associated factors among the riverside Mekong communities in Sangthong District, Vientiane Capital. Methodology: : This study employed a cross-sectional analytic approach to determine the prevalence of helminthic infections, and factors associated with infections in humans in the Mekong Riverside communities of Sangthong District, Vientiane Capital, in 2023. Data were collected using questionnaires and stool examinations conducted with the modified Kato-Katz technique. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, including logistic regression, were performed using STATA version 14. Results: : Among the 327 participants, 94 individuals (28.7%) were found to have intestinal parasitic infections. The most common parasite was Taenia spp. (22.3%), followed by Hookworm (20.2%), Ascaris lumbricoides (12.7%), Opisthorchis viverrini (11.7%), Strongyloides stercoralis (4.2%), Fasciola spp. (4.2%), Hymenolepis nana (3.1%), and Trichuris trichiura (2.1%). Co-infections were observed in several cases: Hookworm + Opisthorchis viverrini (4.2%), and Hookworm + Strongyloides stercoralis (4.2%), Fasciola spp. + Hookworm (2.1%), Taenia spp. + Ascaris lumbricoides (2.1%), and Taenia spp. + Hookworm (2.1%). Triple infections were found in a small percentage of participants (1.0%), involving Hookworm, Opisthorchis viverrini, and Ascaris lumbricoides. Risk factors for intestinal parasitic infections included the consumption of raw food (AOR = 2.394, 95% CI: 1.011–5.667, p = 0.047) and walking barefoot during farm work (AOR = 4.563, 95% CI: 1.000–20.819, p = 0.050). Conclusion: This study highlights that consuming raw food and walking barefoot during farm work are key risk factors for parasitic infections. However, it also demonstrates that in Santhong District, Vientiane Capital, the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections (27.8%), particularly Taenia spp., Hookworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Opisthorchis viverrine, are lower than the previously reported national average of 75.8%.

Background/Aims: The Thai Association for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy published recommendations on safe endoscopy during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to assess the practicality and applicability of the recommendations and the perceptions of endoscopy personnel on them. Methods: A validated questionnaire was sent to 1290 endoscopy personnel globally. Of these, the data of all 330 responders (25.6%) from 15 countries, related to the current recommendations on proper personal protective equipment (PPE), case selection, scope cleaning, and safety perception, were analyzed. Ordinal logistic regression was used to determine the relationships between the variables. Results: Despite an overwhelming agreement with the recommendations on PPE (94.5%) and case selection (95.5%), their practicality and applicability on PPE recommendations and case selection were significantly lower (p=0.001, p=0.047, p<0.001, and p=0.032, respectively). Factors that were associated with lower sense of safety in endoscopy units were younger age (p=0.004), less working experience (p=0.008), in-training status (p=0.04), and higher national prevalence of COVID-19 (p=0.003). High prevalent countries also had more difficulty implementing the guidelines (p<0.001) and they considered the PPE recommendations less practical and showed lower agreement with them (p<0.001 and p=0.008, respectively). A higher number of in-hospital COVID-19 patients was associated with less agreement with PPE recommendations (p=0.039). Conclusions Using appropriate PPE and case selection in endoscopic practice during a pandemic remains a challenge. Resource availability and local prevalence are critical factors influencing the adoption of the current guidelines.