Up to 80% of children in rural Vietnam are contracted with parasitic worms, the Ministry of Health was quoted by the Ha Noi Moi newspaper as saying March 2. The lack of sanitation, the use of untreated night soil as a fertilizer in agriculture, eating raw or uncooked vegetables and poor hygiene are attributed to the alarming situation, the ministry said. More than 50 million people or 80% of Vietnam’s rural population use latrines failing to meet the MoH’s standards, a survey on rural sanitation conducted by the UNICEF and the ministry showed. Vietnam is listed among countries worldwide with the highest number of people being infected with worms and tapeworms, especially children aged between 2 and 12. Each Vietnamese has 8 ascarids, 17 hookworms and 32 hairworms in the body, said the WHO. Doctors advised locals to wash hands with soap before meals and after going to the toilet, drink boiled water and use anthelmintic drugs 3-6 months/time.
