Current status of imported parasitic infection among foreign workers in northern Taiwan (1999-2000)

In the present study, a simple, economic and practical technique was employed for stool examination. Of a total of 6,146 fecal samples from foreign workers in Northern Taiwan between 1999 and 2000 were examined, 615 were found to be positive for parasitic infection and the overall infection rate was 10%. Newly arriving foreign workers had a significantly higher infection rate (15%) than those who had worked in Taiwan for 6-12 months (8%). The foreign workers came from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Except for the small number of workers from Malaysia which was not included, the infection rate order by nationality was Vietnamese (21%) > Indonesian (13%) > Philippino (10%) > Thai (4%). The female examined workers were about 3-fold of males and their infection rate (11%) was also significantly higher than the males (5%). The order of rates by age was 20-30 years (11%) > 31-40 years (8%) > 41-50 years (5%). According to the species of parasites, 569 foreign workers were infected with 1 species (9%) > with 2 species (0.7%) > with 3 species (0.1%). Totally, 14 species (10 helminths including 1 plant nematode, Heterodera and 4 protozoa; hookworm might include 2 or 3 species, but counted as one species here) were found, of which 10 species were pathogenic (9 helminths and 1 protozoa) and 4 non-pathogenic. Foreign workers from Indonesia harbored 12 species of parasites > from the Philippines, 9 species > from Thailand, 8 species > from Vietnam, 7 species.