Controlling soil-transmitted helminthiasis in pre-school-age children through preventive chemotherapy.

Pre-school age children account for 10%-20% of the 2 billion people worldwide who are infected with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs): Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm), Trichuris trichiura (whipworm), and Ancylostoma duodenale/Necator americanus (hookworms). Through a systematic review of the publis...

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Main Authors: Marco Albonico, Henrietta Allen, Lester Chitsulo, Dirk Engels, Albis-Francesco Gabrielli, Lorenzo Savioli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2008-03-01
Series:PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000126
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author Marco Albonico
Henrietta Allen
Lester Chitsulo
Dirk Engels
Albis-Francesco Gabrielli
Lorenzo Savioli
author_facet Marco Albonico
Henrietta Allen
Lester Chitsulo
Dirk Engels
Albis-Francesco Gabrielli
Lorenzo Savioli
author_sort Marco Albonico
collection DOAJ
description Pre-school age children account for 10%-20% of the 2 billion people worldwide who are infected with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs): Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm), Trichuris trichiura (whipworm), and Ancylostoma duodenale/Necator americanus (hookworms). Through a systematic review of the published literature and using information collated at World Health Organization headquarters, this paper summarizes the available evidence to support the recommendation that pre-school children should be included in regular deworming programmes. The first section describes the burden of STH disease in this age group, followed by a summary of how infection impacts iron status, growth, vitamin A status, and cognitive development and how STHs may exacerbate other high mortality infections. The second section explores the safety of the drugs themselves, given alone or co-administered, drug efficacy, and the importance of safe administration. The third section provides country-based evidence to demonstrate improved health outcomes after STH treatment. The final section provides country experiences in scaling up coverage of pre-school children by using other large scale public health interventions, including vitamin A programmes, immunization campaigns, and Child Health days. The paper concludes with a number of open research questions and a summary of some of the operational challenges that still need to be addressed.
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issn 1935-2727
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publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
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series PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
spelling doaj-art-ae6994fee4e14f698b7b652ba7e0b0852025-08-20T03:16:18ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases1935-27271935-27352008-03-0123e12610.1371/journal.pntd.0000126Controlling soil-transmitted helminthiasis in pre-school-age children through preventive chemotherapy.Marco AlbonicoHenrietta AllenLester ChitsuloDirk EngelsAlbis-Francesco GabrielliLorenzo SavioliPre-school age children account for 10%-20% of the 2 billion people worldwide who are infected with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs): Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm), Trichuris trichiura (whipworm), and Ancylostoma duodenale/Necator americanus (hookworms). Through a systematic review of the published literature and using information collated at World Health Organization headquarters, this paper summarizes the available evidence to support the recommendation that pre-school children should be included in regular deworming programmes. The first section describes the burden of STH disease in this age group, followed by a summary of how infection impacts iron status, growth, vitamin A status, and cognitive development and how STHs may exacerbate other high mortality infections. The second section explores the safety of the drugs themselves, given alone or co-administered, drug efficacy, and the importance of safe administration. The third section provides country-based evidence to demonstrate improved health outcomes after STH treatment. The final section provides country experiences in scaling up coverage of pre-school children by using other large scale public health interventions, including vitamin A programmes, immunization campaigns, and Child Health days. The paper concludes with a number of open research questions and a summary of some of the operational challenges that still need to be addressed.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000126
spellingShingle Marco Albonico
Henrietta Allen
Lester Chitsulo
Dirk Engels
Albis-Francesco Gabrielli
Lorenzo Savioli
Controlling soil-transmitted helminthiasis in pre-school-age children through preventive chemotherapy.
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
title Controlling soil-transmitted helminthiasis in pre-school-age children through preventive chemotherapy.
title_full Controlling soil-transmitted helminthiasis in pre-school-age children through preventive chemotherapy.
title_fullStr Controlling soil-transmitted helminthiasis in pre-school-age children through preventive chemotherapy.
title_full_unstemmed Controlling soil-transmitted helminthiasis in pre-school-age children through preventive chemotherapy.
title_short Controlling soil-transmitted helminthiasis in pre-school-age children through preventive chemotherapy.
title_sort controlling soil transmitted helminthiasis in pre school age children through preventive chemotherapy
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000126
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