Jinan-gun Offers Free Intestinal Parasite Screening Until the 15th

Residents Around Yongdam Dam and Seomjingang River Basin Among High-Risk Groups for Infection

Jinan County Office building. Photo by Jinan County

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Go Dallyeong] Jinangun, Jeonbuk announced on the 4th that it will conduct free intestinal parasite screenings until the 15th.

The target group includes residents around the Yongdam Dam and Seomjingang River basin, where the risk of infection is geographically high, workers handling freshwater fish, and fishery rights holders, who are considered high-risk groups for parasite infection.

Due to the regional characteristics of having Yongdam Dam and the source of the Seomjingang River, Jinangun has been conducting an annual intestinal parasite eradication project since 2009.

As a result, the parasite infection rate, which was 5%, significantly decreased to below 1%, but after expanding the project last year to include fishery rights holders and health clinics, it increased again to 2.4%.

The types of parasite tests include 11 species such as liver fluke, intestinal fluke, and roundworm. Free medication is provided to infected residents based on the test results, and continuous management will be conducted through retesting after medication.

The liver fluke, known as Clonorchis sinensis among parasites, is designated by the World Health Organization as a Group 1 carcinogen causing cholangiocarcinoma, which is considered one of the worst cancers with a 5-year survival rate of less than 20%.

The most reliable prevention method for liver fluke infection is not to eat freshwater fish raw, and cooking utensils such as knives and cutting boards that have come into contact with fish infected with liver flukes must be heated in boiling water for more than 10 seconds before use.

The free parasite test can be easily done with a single stool sample, and those who wish to be tested can apply at the Jinangun Public Health Center Infectious Disease Control Team or the relevant health branch office or health clinic.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.