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Introduction: Hookworm infestation is one of the most common intestinal parasitic infections which cause anemia and malnutrition, mainly affecting those with poor socioeconomic status. Hookworm infection is still widely prevalent among aborigines in Malaysia. Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of hookworm infestation among the Orang Asli (aboriginal) children at Pos Lenjang, Pahang, Malaysia Materials & methods: Cross-sectional study was carried out among 71 volunteered aboriginal children aged between 1 to 12 years old (31 boys and 40 girls). The stool specimens were collected and screened for hookworm ova by the direct faecal smear method followed by formalin ether concentration technique. Results: The overall prevalence of hookworm infestation in this population is 14.1%. The highest infection rate was observed in school children aged between 7 - 12 years (24.3%) with males (19.4%) dominating over females (10%). The formalin ether concentration technique had shown a higher percentage of detection (90%) for hookworm ova as compared to the direct faecal smear (20%). Conclusion: Hookworm infestation among the aboriginal children at Pos Lenjang, Pahang still indicates a relatively low health standard of this indigenous community. Improving socioeconomic status, including enhanced access to quality health care and adequate sanitation has the potential to significantly reduce the prevalence and intensity of this infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Intestinal parasitic infections still continue to be the most common cause of chronic infections, in communities living in resource poor countries situated in the tropics and subtropics. This study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis amongst the Orang Asli (aborigine) children at Sg. Rual Post, Jeli, Kelantan. Materials and Methods: In this study, 111 Orang Asli primary school children aged 4-12 years were screened for the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in faecal samples using the Modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique. Results: Based on a single stool sample, 34.2% (38/111) of the overall population had cryptosporidiosis comprising of 35.8% (24/67) females and 31.8% (14/44) males. This indicates a high prevalence of this infection among the Orang Asli community of Post Sungai Rual. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis between age and sex of the children who participated in this study. The high prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in this community may be attributed to their poor personal hygiene, socioeconomic status, living conditions, educational background and the lack of safe water supply. Conclusion: The high prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in this community warrants a spotlight on it as a public health problem. Public health personnel need to re-look at the current control measures and identify innovative and integrated ways in order to reduce cryptosporidiosis significantly and it is recommended that routine screening of stool samples for parasites should include the detection of Cryptosporidium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Intestinal parasitic infections are still a major public health problem among the poor and underprivileged communities in Malaysia. Such infections including ascariasis may contribute to poor cognitive functions and learning ability. Improvements in socioeconomic status in Malaysia have shown positive impact on the reduction of intestinal parasitic infections in other communities, however, this positive impact is less significant in the Orang Asli communities. Objective: This study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of Ascaris infections amongst the Orang Asli (aborigine) children at Pos Sinderut, Pahang. Materials and Methods: In this study, 272 Orang Asli primary school children aged 7-12 years were screened for the presence of Ascaris lumbricoides in faecal samples using the direct smear technique. Results: 45.6% (124/272) of the overall population had Ascaris lumbricoides infection comprising of 46.8% (67/143) females and 44.2% (57/129) males. This indicates the high level of environmental contamination with human feces and the poor state of personal hygiene and feeding practices of this community. The lower primary school group showed 50.4% infection whereas the higher primary school group showed 42%. Younger children may be particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of A. lumbricoides infections due to their incomplete physical development and their greater immunological vulnerability. Conclusion: The infection rate of Ascaris lumbricoides is high and thus necessitates frequent and periodic deworming among children. Public health personnel need to re-look at the current control measures and identify innovative and integrated ways in order to reduce ascariasis significantly in the rural communities. There is an urgent need to improve the hygiene, education and living standards of this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]