Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
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Status of intestinal helminthic infections of borderline residents in North Korea

  • Li Shunyu (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Yanbian University College of Medicine) ;
  • Shen Chenghua (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Yanbian University College of Medicine) ;
  • Choi Min-Ho (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University College of Medicine) ;
  • Bae Young-Mee (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University College of Medicine) ;
  • Yoon Hi-Won (Department of Korean Language Education, Seoul National University College of Education) ;
  • Hong Sung-Tae (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University College of Medicine)
  • Published : 2006.09.01
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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.

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References

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