Intestinal parasites in Hong Kong.

A retrospective survey of laboratory records of 8590 stool samples examined for intestinal parasites from local Hong Kong residents during the first 6 months of 1992 showed changes in the pattern of such infestations, particularly in the age of first acquiring infection and the peak age of occurrence for the different intestinal parasites, in comparison with data obtained 12 years ago. The largest percentage decline was seen for Ascaris, reflecting the rapid urbanization of the territory, while clonorchiasis showed a much slower decline, probably related to the difficulty of changing local culinary habits. A similar decline is also seen amongst Vietnamese migrants in Hong Kong. Published epidemiological data from the South-east Asian region showed widely varying patterns from countries in different socioeconomic states.