Transmission of waterborne parasites in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Overview and direction forward

Highlights

• 1% of global outbreaks of waterborne parasitic protozoa have been reported in Asia.

• Studies on occurrence of waterborne parasites are limited in ASEAN.

• Overview of the available data aims to identify the directions forward.

Abstract

Most of the global outbreaks of waterborne parasitic protozoa have been reported in regions with established surveillance and reporting systems such as Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and North America. Given that only an estimated 1% of these outbreaks have occurred in Asia, it is evident that there is a paucity of information from this region where organised mechanisms of documentation of parasitic infections or waterborne outbreaks are lacking. This review attempts to provide an overview of the available data and studies on waterborne parasite occurrences among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which comprises of the ten member states (i.e., Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR), Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) with the aims of identifying some directions on how to progress.