Giardiasis Amongst The Orang Asli School Children At Pos Titom, Pahang, Malaysia / Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Giardia intestinalis is among the protozoa that is commonly found in the human fecal samples throughout the world. Theprevalence of infection is higher among people living in developing countries than developed countries. One hundredand eleven Orang Asli children at Pos Titom, Pahang participated in this study. The prevalence study was conducted inaccordance to gender, age groups and the diagnostic techniques employed. Fecal samples were collected and examinedfor the presence of G. intestinalis using three diagnostic techniques ie; the direct fecal smear, formalin-ether concentrationand the trichrome staining technique. The overall prevalence of G. intestinalis infection among Orang Asli children at PosTitom was 23.42%. The infection was higher among females (25%) as compared to males (21.57%) eventhough it wasnot statistically significant (p > 0.05). In terms of age groups, no positive case was observed among preschoolers whoseage were below seven-years while the school aged children (7 to 12-years old) showed 24.53% infection. The trichromestaining technique was the most sensitive with a detection rate of 22.52% followed by the formalin-ether concentrationtechnique with a detection of 19.82% whilst the direct smear technique only detected 12.61% of cases. The prevalenceof giardiasis amongst the Orang Asli children at Pos Titom, Pahang was still high despite various efforts made andimprovements in basic infrastructural facilities undertaken for their community. The health care status and personalhygiene of Orang Asli children remains poor and needs to be further improved.