Evaluation of the effectiveness of the integrated clonorchiasis control programme in Guangdong Province

CHINESE JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY AND PARASITIC DISEASES ›› 2025, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (6): 800-805.doi: 10.12140/j.issn.1000-7423.2025.06.008

• ORIGINAL ARTICLES • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the integrated clonorchiasis control programme in Guangdong Province

ZHANG Guanting1()(), ZHANG Xianchang1, ZHANG Qiming1, LUO Le2, ZENG Qingsheng3, FANG Yueyi1, LIAO Yuhuang1, MAO Qiang1, LIU Jiahui1, DENG Zhuohui1, WU De1, CHEN Jingdiao1,*()()   

  1. 1 Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangdong Provincial Workstation for Emerging Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, Guangdong, China
    2 Zhongshan Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhongshan 528403, Guangdong, China
    3 Xinhui District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangmen City 529100, Guangdong, China
  • Received:2025-10-09 Revised:2025-11-21 Online:2025-12-30 Published:2025-12-29
  • Contact: *E-mail:1400137369@qq.com
  • Supported by:
    Talent Support Program of Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention(2024D351);Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogen Detection for Emerging Infectious Disease Response(2023B1212010010)

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effectiveness of the integrated clonorchiasis control programme in hyperendemic areas of Guangdong Province (Zhongshan City and Xinhui District of Jiangmen City), so as to provide reproducible and scalable integrated control experiences in other disease-affected regions. Methdos Integrated clonorchiasis control measures were implemented in Zhongshan City and Xinhui District of Jiangmen City during the period from 2019 to 2023, including online and offline health education, environmental improvements focusing on construction of sanitary toilets and provision of safe water in the text of new rural construction, albendazole given to Clonorchis sinensis-infected individuals, improvements of professional capabilities among disease control teams by means of training and hands-on practices. An administrative village (community) was selected from each township (street) in eastern, western, southern, northern and central parts according to geographical locations in two implementation areas after implementation of the integrated control measures. A total of 200 residents at ages of over 3 years were sampled using the cluster sampling method for detection of the prevalence of human clonorchiasis. And use the findings from the most recent population infection survey conducted prior to the project’s initiation as baseline data for comparison. In addition, a total of 150 individuals were randomly sampled from residents subjected to surveys of the prevalence of C. sinensis human infections in 2019 prior to the programme and 2023 at the final evaluation for questionnaire surveys of healthy human behaviors. Results There were 227 administrative villages received health education pertaining to clonorchiasis control knowledge in Zhongshan City, and 224 in Xinhui District, with a coverage rate of 100% in both areas from 2019 to 2023. The awareness of human clonorchiasis control knowledge was 96.0% (261/272) in Zhongshan City and 98.0% (245/250) in Xinhui District in 2023, which increased by 60.0% and 40.0% relative to 2019 before implementation of the programme [60.0% (150/250) and 70.0% (105/150)], respectively. In terms of environmental improvements, 89 850 new sanitary toilets were built and 89 850 households with access to safe water were provided in Zhongshan City, and 17 094 new sanitary toilets were built and 16 968 households with access to safe water were provided in Xinhui District, with 100% coverage rates of sanitary toilets and safe water supply in both areas. There were 10 424 and 22 427 C. sinensis-infected individuals identified through community-based surveys on human infections and standardized clonorchiasis clinics in medical institutions in Zhongshan City and Xinhui District, and 10 185 and 16 821 individuals given deworming chemicals, with deworming coverage rates of 97.71% and 75.00%, respectively. The proportion of professionals receiving training increased from 91.67% (66/72) to 100% (103/103) in Zhongshan City and from 52.94% (90/170) to 98.05% (201/205) in Xinhui District. The prevalence of C. sinensis infections reduced from 37.28% (400/1 073) at baseline to 11.52% (131/1 137) at the final evaluation in Zhongshan City (χ2 = 625.24, P < 0.05) and from 34.18% (499/1 460) to 10.20% (102/1 000) in Xinhui District following implementation of 5-year integrated control programmes (χ2 = 188.35, P < 0.05), respectively. Conclusion Through systematic interventions, Zhongshan City and Xinhui District in Guangdong Province significantly reduced the infection rate of C. sinensis, enhanced public awareness of prevention knowledge, and improved environmental sanitation, providing replicable and scalable experiences for comprehensive control in other regions.

Key words: Clonorchiasis, Integrated control, Guangdong Province

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