A study on enterobiasis among aboriginal children in Nanao and Tatung districts, Ilan county, northeast Taiwan.

From May 1981 to March 1984, consecutive surveys with Scotch tape perianal swab for enterobiasis were conducted among school children in 8 primary schools in the Nanao District, also involved were 1 junior high and 8 primary schools from the Tatung District, Ilan County, Northeast Taiwan. Field treatments with mebendazole (10 mg) or albendazole (400 mg) were also conducted following 9 periods of screening for pinworm. Prior to treatment, the infection rates in Nanao and Tatung were 14.1% and 8.3%, respectively. These rates were reduced to 0.4% and 1.1% by March 1984, respectively. Throughout the study, significantly higher infection rates were generally found during the months of September, November, and December and lower rates were obtained in June. There was no difference between the infection rates of aboriginal school boys and girls. The results of the present study indicate that monthly chemotherapy is the best method for controlling pinworm infections in these mountainous regions.