title: The hidden burden of trichinellosis in Vietnam: a postoutbreak epidemiological study.
abstract: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Muong Lat town (Thanh Hoa province, North Vietnam), following the confirmed diagnosis of trichinellosis in six patients from that town who had eaten hunted wild boar meat during the Vietnamese lunar year celebration. All inhabitants who declared to have eaten undercooked or raw wild boar meat at the celebration and showed at least one clinical symptom compatible with trichinellosis were included in the study and blood sampled. Anti-Trichinella IgG were determined by ELISA and Western Blot. Seropositive persons were given appropriate albendazole treatment and were followed up. A total of 100 inhabitants met the inclusion criteria. Among these, 30 (30%) had antibodies to Trichinella. Serologically confirmed cases had fever (90.0%), myalgia (86.7%), facial oedema (63.3%), diarrhoea (53.3%), and pain of the masseter muscles (43.3%). Eosinophilia was detected in 83.3% of these individuals. Clinical symptoms resolved in all patients during albendazole treatment. The results suggest that only a proportion of the trichinellosis cases had sought health care during the outbreak. There is a need to implement surveillance and better diagnosis for trichinellosis and to set up educational programs to prevent infection in North Vietnam.
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Section, National Centre for Veterinary Diagnosis, 11/78 Giai Phong, Phuong Mai, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam ; Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 133 Salisburylaan, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nga
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vu Thi
authors.forename: Dung Do
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Trung
authors.forename: Amber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Litzroth
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Praet
authors.forename: Huong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nguyen Thu
authors.forename: Hien
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nguyen Thu
authors.forename: Hung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nguyen Manh
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dorny
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014235:Trichinellosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014744:Vietnam / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult