Malaria among hilltribe communities in northern Thailand: a review of clinical manifestations.

Malaria is an important vector-borne disease in the tropics. Northern Thailand is endemic for malaria. We reviewed the clinical manifestations presented by patients with malaria; our data were drawn from the database of Mae Chaem Hospital, Chiang Mai Province. Mae Chaem district is hilly and rural. More than 80% of the district's population are members of hilltribes. The database showed that between July 2000 and April 2001, a final diagnosis of malaria was made in 94 cases. The commonest clinical manifestation was fever (in 91 cases; 96.8%), followed by chills (in 57 cases; 60.6%). Interestingly, some unusual presentations such as petechiae, abnormal menstruation, and jaundice were also found.

Enterobius vermicularis infection among pre-school children in Karen hilltribe villages in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

We surveyed Karen hilltribe villages in the Mae Chaem District of Chiang Mai Province between April and May 2001. Two hundred and forty-nine pre-school children were selected by stratified sampling from 10 villages and were examined for Enterobius vermicularis eggs by the Scotch tape perianal examination technique. One hundred and thirteen (53 boys and 60 girls) were found to have E. vermicularis eggs, giving an overall infection rate of 45.38%. We were able to determine that E. vermicularis infection is prevalent among the children of these hilltribe villages.