title: A successful experience of soil-transmitted helminth control in the Republic of Korea.
abstract: Soil-transmitted helminths (STH), namely Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworms (Ancylostoma and Necator), present a global health problem to about a half of the earthos population. In the Republic of Korea, STH were highly prevalent and were considered a high priority target for national control. To promote the control, a non-governmental organization named Korea Association for Parasite Eradication (currently Korea Association of Health Promotion) was founded in 1964, and mass fecal examination followed by selective mass chemotherapy with anthelmintics was performed twice a year from 1969 to 1995 targeting whole nationwide schoolchildren. Meanwhile, decreasing patterns of national STH infections have been monitored by 7 timeso quinquennial national surveys targeting general population. In 1971, the overall intestinal helminth egg positive rate was 84.3% (Ascaris 58.2%, Trichuris 65.4%, and hookworms 10.7%), which became 63.2% in 1976, 41.1% in 1981, 12.9% in 1986, 3.8% in 1992, 2.4% in 1997, and 4.3% (Ascaris 0.03%, Trichuris 0.02%, and hookworms 0%) in 2004. During the control period, national economy rapidly developed, and living standards including environment, sanitation, and agricultural technology greatly improved, which undoubtedly boosted the STH control effects. Our experience indicates that social driving force to establish an eligible national control system to conduct repeated mass chemotherapy, together with improvement of environment and sanitation, is important for initiating and achieving STH control in a developing community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Tae
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Jong-Yil
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.forename: Min-Ho
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Sun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huh
authors.forename: Han-Jong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Rim
authors.forename: Soon-Hyung
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000723:Ancylostomatoidea; D000818:Animals; D000969:Antinematodal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017164:Ascaris lumbricoides; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D009348:Nematoda; D009349:Nematode Infections / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012987:Soil / Q000469:parasitology*; D014258:Trichuris
chemical_list: D000969:Antinematodal Agents; D012987:Soil