2000 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Parasitic Infections and Human Migration in Southeast Asia
| Project/Area Number |
10045067
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B).
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
寄生虫学(含医用動物学)
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| Research Institution | Hamamatsu University School of Medicine |
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Principal Investigator |
TERADA Mamoru Department of Parasitology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (30046297)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TAKEZOE Hirotaka Department of Parasitology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Instructor, 医学部, 助手 (20324345)
ISHIH Akira Department of Parasitology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Associate Professor, 医学部, 助教授 (50107801)
KINO Hideto Department of Parasitology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Instructor, 医学部, 助手 (70115476)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1998 – 2000
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| Keywords | Malaysia / Migrants / Imported parasitosis |
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| Research Abstract |
In the course of study for 3 years, a total of 6 surveys, 3 for illegal immigrants in a detention camp in Negeri Sembilan and 3 for legal foreign workers in a plantation estate in Selangor, was carried out. A total of 741 study subjects consisted of 308 illegal immigrants, 221 legal foreign workers and 212 local workers as control. Indonesians were dominated among the illegal immigrants followed by those from other Asian countries. Most of the legal foreign workers were Indonesian.
As a whole, prevalence of parasitic infections was higher in illegal immigrants, particularly for pathogenic protozoa and ectoparasites, reflecting lower hygienic standard of their living condition. The legal Indonesian workers were found to have a relatively high prevalence of asymptomatic malaria, which may have been acquired when they went on a home visit in Indonesia. The local workers showed different features of parasitic infections according to their ethnicity. Country of origin appeared to have an influence on the status of parasitic infections.
Our attempts to identify non-endemic infections did not detect any positive cases among the foreigners. However, many infections could have been brought by migrant workers, both legal and illegal, from their country of origin. Thus the migrants with these infections certainly will play an important role in sustaining the infections at a certain level in Malaysia. The legal migrants enjoy the freedom of movement within the host country, and this provides ample opportunities for the spread of new diseases. For the imported parasitoses, health check at entrance of immigrants could have an important role to prevent spreading out the infections into the country, although it is impossible for the illegal immigrants.
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Research Products
(2 results)
