Infections of Soil-Transmitted Helminth in Refugees from North Korea

Abstract

Soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) are now no longer public health problems in the Republic of Korea (South Korea), but their status are unavailable in the residents of North Korea (NK) despite the expectation of large scale traffic and future reunification of the Korean Peninsula. A total of 20 female refugees from NK who had been admitted to the Division of Gastroenterology, Dankook University Hospital, were subjected in this study. Among them, 15 refugees were examined by the colonoscopy and 10 ones were examined with the stool examination (formalin-ether sedimentation). Both diagnostic methods were commonly adopted in 5 patients. Eggs of Trichuris trichiura were detected in 7 out of 10 refugees in the stool examination. In the colonoscopy, T. trichiura worms were found in 6 (40.0%) out of 15 refugees. Total 9 (45.0%) peoples were confirmed to be infected with human whipworms. Additionally, 1 case of clonorchiasis was diagnosed in the stool examination and a worm of Ascaris lumbricoides was discovered from a trichuriasis case. These findings suggested that STH is highly prevalent in NO, in which living conditions are not so good in the aspect of general hygiene and medical care.

Prevalence and Risk Factors For Intestinal Nematodes Infections among Primary School Children at Kigeme Refugee Camp, Southern Province, Rwanda

“…In a study that was done in south Korea on north Korean refugees, it was revealed that 50% of them were infected with intestinal helminths and 45% were infected with Trichirus Trichiura, it was claimed that since Trichirus Trichiura w which is a soil transmitted intestinal parasite, the findings were a reflection of poor general hygiene and inadequate medical care. [5] In another study conducted in Nigeria, 79.5% of 332 internally displaced people, were infected by intestinal parasites. Among these, 144 were children of less than 10 years of age and 93.1% of them were infected.…”

Clonorchis sinensis calcium-binding protein Cs16 causes acute hepatic injury possibly by reprogramming the metabolic pathway of bone marrow-derived monocytes

“…Clonorchis sinensis is one of the regionally epidemic zoonotic parasites, affecting more than 15 million people around the world, and is mainly endemic in China, South Korea, Vietnam, and part of Russia ( Yoshida, 2012 ; Lee et al., 2018 ). The adult flukes living in the biliary trees of the liver induce chronic inflammation, periductal fibrosis, and even the adenomatous hyperplasia of biliary epithelial cells, all of which are closely related to the occurrence of cholangiocarcinoma ( Kim et al., 2016 ).…”

Surgical Diseases in North Korea: An Overview of North Korean Medical Journals

“…However, details remain missing and the picture is incomplete. The limited reports available about North Korea have disproportionately focused on nutritional issues and communicable diseases, including parasitic diseases and tuberculosis [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”