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After the sigle anthelmintic treatment aganist Enterobius vermicularis, the egg positive rate returns to pre-treatment level within 20∼30 days. Therefore the antipinworm treatment should be repeated when the endemic enterobiasis is desired to be under control. Recently Hong et al.(1980) proposed a scheme of control in which mebendazole was administered to all residents for 4 times each 20-day interval. By the scheme, the pinworm infection was controlled up to 7 months in low endemic orphanages(mean egg positive rates less than 40%). However, in two highly endemic orphanages(55-70%), the infection was controlled only for 3 months. After then up to 7 months, reinfection occurred, but the egg positive rate was brought down to 20%. To observe the effect of 6-month interval repetition of the above scheme on the control of highly endemic enterobiasis in orphanages, this study was undertaken for one year in the hope of complete control. In three orphanages situated in Anyang City, Kyunggi Do(mean egg positive rates of anal swab being 74%, 80% and 84% in respect), 100㎎ single dose of mebendazole were administered to all orphans and their nursing staffs for 5 tomed each 20-day interval. They were followed up each month by anal swab until 6 months after the beginning of the scheme. The egg positive rates became 0% until 110 days after the institution of the scheme. However, the ratesgradually rused to 3.6%∼12.3%, in all of 3 orphanagesuntil 6 months. Then the second scheme of treatment was tried. Mebendazole was administered for 3 times also each 20-day interval. The egg positive rates again dropped to 0% until 270 days. However, the rates abruptly began to rise to 12.1% on 300 dats, 22.7% on 330 days, 24.8% on 360 days. The rising of egg positive rates was about 40 days after introduction of infected but untreated new-comers to all of 3 subjected orphanages. If the orphanages were the closed society, the hyperendemic enterobiasis would be controlled by repeating the scheme every 6 month. The failure to control the enterbiasis in this observation suggests that the reintroduction of eggs from outside was the main factor of recurring endemicity though the pinworms inside the orphanages were almost completely cleared.
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