Giardiasis amongst the Orang Asli School Children at Pos Titom, Pahang, Malaysia

Abstract

Giardia intestinalis is among the protozoa that is commonly found in the human fecal samples throughout the world. The prevalence of infection is higher among people living in developing countries than developed countries. One hundred and eleven Orang Asli children at Pos Titom, Pahang participated in this study. The prevalence study was conducted in accordance to gender, age groups and the diagnostic techniques employed. Fecal samples were collected and examined for the presence of G. intestinalis using three diagnostic techniques ie; the direct fecal smear, formalin-ether concentration and the trichrome staining technique. The overall prevalence of G. intestinalis infection among Orang Asli children at Pos Titom was 23.42%. The infection was higher among females (25%) as compared to males (21.57%) eventhough it was not statistically significant (p>0.05). In terms of age groups, no positive case was observed among preschoolers whose age were below seven-years while the school aged children (7 to 12-years old) showed 24.53% infection. The trichrome staining technique was the most sensitive with a detection rate of 22.52% followed by the formalin-ether concentration technique with a detection of 19.82% whilst the direct smear technique only detected 12.61% of cases. The prevalence of giardiasis amongst the Orang Asli children at Pos Titom, Pahang was still high despite various efforts made and improvements in basic infrastructural facilities undertaken for their community. The health care status and personal hygiene of Orang Asli children remains poor and needs to be further improved.

DOI : http://dx.doi.org./10.17576/JSKM-2018-13