Department of Molecular Parasitology, Sungkyunkwan University, School of Medicine, Suwon 16419, Korea.
Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Seoul National University, College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Korea.
Parasites Hosts Dis. 2023 May;61(2):103-126. doi: 10.3347/PHD.22152. Epub 2023 May 23.
In the l950s, under the legacy of traditional agriculture, Ascaris lumbricoides, spread epidemically in the war-bitten society of Korea. Consensus on the parasite control was drafted in the Parasite Disease Prevention Act, which passed a parliamentary agreement in 1966, and established safe disposal of feces and mass chemotherapy as control strategies. Biannual stool examinations and treating infected schoolchildren were basic scheme of the control activity through which revenue could be secured for organized business. In the 27 years following 1969, a maximum of 16 million stool examinations had been done every year. Cellophane thick smear enabled the task. The infection declined remarkably in the 1970s when industrialization and green revolution proceeded. A population study of A. lumbricoides in the late 1970s helped us better understand its epidemiology. The data also settled down the understandable protest of teachers against the repeated stool examinations. In the 9 years following 1987, the target population was gradually reduced when the egg positive rate was below 0.1%. An article in the Korean Law, stipulating obligatory stool examinations, was made optional. Although the long-term Korean effort of Ascaris control was a success, the effect of mass chemotherapy was not as succinct in terms of lowering reinfection. In the period of control, Korean agricultural technology changed, and the economy grew and supplied sanitary facilities by which the vicious cycle was disconnected. Reduction of morbidity was a benefit of mass chemotherapy, which is the only control method feasible in economically difficult countries. The most important hurdle of parasite control in the 1960s was poverty of general population and limited financial resources in Korea but the society formed a consensus on the priority of intestinal helminthiasis control during the ordeal period. The national consensus in the 1960s was the critical milestone for Ascaris control in Korea. Under the social agreement, application of timely technical and research advancements in parasitology achieved the success of ascariasis elimination. The successful experience of ascariasis elimination in Korea can be a benchmark for countries where neglected tropical diseases are endemically recycled.
20 世纪 50 年代，在传统农业的影响下，蛔虫病在饱受战争蹂躏的朝鲜社会中流行起来。1966 年，寄生虫病防治法通过了议会协议，草案中提出了安全处理粪便和大规模化疗作为控制策略。每年进行两次粪便检查和治疗受感染的学童是控制活动的基本方案，通过该方案可以为有组织的业务提供收入。在 1969 年后的 27 年里，每年最多进行了 1600 万次粪便检查。赛璐玢厚涂片使这项工作得以完成。随着工业化和绿色革命的推进，20 世纪 70 年代感染率显著下降。20 世纪 70 年代末，对蛔虫病的人口研究使我们更好地了解了其流行病学。这些数据也平息了教师们对反复进行粪便检查的抗议。1987 年后的 9 年里，当阳性率低于 0.1%时，目标人群逐渐减少。韩国法律规定的强制性粪便检查被改为选择性检查。虽然韩国长期的蛔虫病控制工作取得了成功，但大规模化疗在降低再感染方面的效果并不明显。在控制期间，韩国农业技术发生了变化，经济增长并提供了卫生设施，从而打破了恶性循环。降低发病率是大规模化疗的一个好处，这是经济困难国家唯一可行的控制方法。20 世纪 60 年代寄生虫病控制的最大障碍是韩国普通民众的贫困和有限的财政资源，但在这段艰难时期，社会就肠道蠕虫病控制的优先事项达成了共识。20 世纪 60 年代的国家共识是韩国蛔虫病控制的关键里程碑。在社会协议的基础上，寄生虫学方面的及时技术和研究进展的应用取得了蛔虫病消除的成功。韩国成功消除蛔虫病的经验可以成为其他地方的一个基准，这些地方的被忽视热带病在当地不断循环。
