Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume 20, Issue 4, 2004, Pages 183-187

Prevalence of Pediculus capitis infestation among school children of Chinese refugees residing in mountainous areas of Northern Thailand (Article)

Fan C.-K.* , Liao C.-W. , Wu M.-S. , Hu N.-Y. , Su K.-E.
  • a Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wu-Hsin Street, Taipei 110, Taiwan
  • b Institute of Parasitology, College of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan
  • c Department of Internal Medicine, Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
  • d Clinical Laboratory, Chu-Tung Hospital, Department of Health, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan
  • e Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

Abstract

An epidemiologic survey of Pediculus capitis infestation among Akka aboriginal and Han children of Chinese refugees living in mountainous areas at elevations of 1,100 to 1,400 m in Chiang-Rai Province of northern Thailand was conducted during January 2003. Of the 303 children examined, 43 (14.2%) had P. capitis infestation. The overall infestation rate for P. capitis in Akka children (29.3%, 12/41) was significantly higher than that in Han children (11.8%, 31/262; χ 2 = 8.161, p = 0.002). The prevalence in Akka (52.2%, 12/23) and Han girls (19.7%, 31/157) was higher than that in Akka (0%) and Han boys (0%), respectively (p < 0.001), and the prevalence was higher in Akka girls than in Han girls (χ 2 = 10.978, p = 0.001). The high prevalence of P. capitis infestation among these girls was possibly due to poor environmental hygiene and unavailability of sufficient water.

Author Keywords

School children Refugees Thailand Pediculus capitis Chiang-Rai Province

Index Keywords

Lice Infestations Pediculus Han population China Akka aborigine mountain geographic elevation Chinese refugee environmental sanitation population infestation Thailand human sex difference Refugees Animals school child Humans Adolescent male female Aborigine prevalence Article major clinical study water supply Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-2542591025&partnerID=40&md5=48f27891e78900d3b2804939901b909e
ISSN: 02575655
Cited by: 5
Original Language: English