The silent burden of intestinal parasitic infections and associated risk factors in Malaysian public housing schemes

Abstract

Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are largely overlooked in Malaysia's rapidly urbanising areas, while thriving in conditions of poor sanitation, environmental decline, and high population density. Studies in Malaysia are largely skewed towards indigenous communities, with few focusing on other vulnerable sectors, including the inhabitants of public housing programs (PHP)-often plagued with poor facilities and indiscriminate waste management. We assessed the prevalence of IPIs and their associated risk factors amongst occupants of PHPs in Klang Valley, Malaysia, recruiting 394 residents from 19 PHPs and screening stool samples via six microscopy techniques. Overall prevalence was moderate (19.3%), with 76 participants infected with at least one intestinal parasite. Ascaris lumbricoides was the most prominent species (13.5%), followed by Trichuris trichiura (6.1%), and Cryptosporidium spp. (0.51%). Significant associations between helminthic infections and individual risk factors included locality, presence of pest breeding grounds, pet keeping, failure to use soap during handwashing, and overflowing waste collection facilities. No significant factors were associated with the protozoan infections. These results highlight the presence of IPIs in the urban poor communities, potentially attributed to poor maintenance of housing facilities and lack of civic consciousness amongst the occupants, calling for better, integrated interventions to improve the livelihoods of these communities.

Keywords: Intestinal parasitic infection; Klang valley; Malaysia; PHPs; Urban poor.

Fig. 1

Locations of study sites within People’s Housing Projects (PHPs) in Klang Valley, Malaysia. This map was prepared using QGIS version 3.34 (https://qgis.org/).