BACKGROUND: In July 2006 Sri Lanka completed 5 rounds of annual mass drug administration (MDA) with diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) and albendazole as part of its national programme for elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF). Albendazole is highly effective against soil-transmitted helminths (STH). This study was carried out to assess the effect of repeated annual MDA on STH infections in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, an area co-endemic for LF and STH. METHODS: Faecal samples were obtained (during August-September 2006), from grade 5 students in 17 schools in the Western Province that were included in a national survey of schoolchildren's health in 2003, and examined using the modified Kato-Katz technique. The prevalence and intensity of roundworm, whipworm and hookworm infections in 2003 and 2006 were compared. RESULTS: Faecal samples from 255 children were examined in 2003; 448 were examined in 2006. Roundworm prevalence was marginally lower in 2006 (4.0%) than in 2003 (4.7%), as was hookworm (0.2% vs 0.4%), whereas whipworm prevalence was higher (13.8% vs 9.4%). These differences as well as that between the geometric mean egg counts were not statistically significant. Compliance with MDA in 2006, as reported by the schoolchildren examined, was only 59%. CONCLUSIONS: Four annual rounds of MDA with DEC and albendazole had virtually no effect on STH infections in the study area.
BACKGROUND: In July 2006 Sri Lanka completed 5 rounds of annual mass drug administration (MDA) with diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) and albendazole as part of its national programme for elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF). Albendazole is highly effective against soil-transmitted helminths (STH). This study was carried out to assess the effect of repeated annual MDA on STH infections in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, an area co-endemic for LF and STH. METHODS: Faecal samples were obtained (during August-September 2006), from grade 5 students in 17 schools in the Western Province that were included in a national survey of schoolchildren's health in 2003, and examined using the modified Kato-Katz technique. The prevalence and intensity of roundworm, whipworm and hookworm infections in 2003 and 2006 were compared. RESULTS: Faecal samples from 255 children were examined in 2003; 448 were examined in 2006. Roundworm prevalence was marginally lower in 2006 (4.0%) than in 2003 (4.7%), as was hookworm (0.2% vs 0.4%), whereas whipworm prevalence was higher (13.8% vs 9.4%). These differences as well as that between the geometric mean egg counts were not statistically significant. Compliance with MDA in 2006, as reported by the schoolchildren examined, was only 59%. CONCLUSIONS: Four annual rounds of MDA with DEC and albendazole had virtually no effect on STH infections in the study area.
Authors: Sharmini Gunawardena; Nipul K Gunawardena; Ganga Kahathuduwa; Nadira D Karunaweera; Nilanthi R de Silva; Udaya B Ranasinghe; Sandhya D Samarasekara; Kumara C Nagodavithana; Ramakrishna U Rao; Maria P Rebollo; Gary J Weil Journal: Am J Trop Med Hyg Date: 2014-02-03 Impact factor: 2.345
Authors: Birgit Nikolay; Charles S Mwandawiro; Jimmy H Kihara; Collins Okoyo; Jorge Cano; Mariam T Mwanje; Hadley Sultani; Dorcas Alusala; Hugo C Turner; Caroline Teti; Josh Garn; Matthew C Freeman; Elizabeth Allen; Roy M Anderson; Rachel L Pullan; Sammy M Njenga; Simon J Brooker Journal: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Date: 2015-09-30
Authors: Moses J Bockarie; Louise A Kelly-Hope; Maria Rebollo; David H Molyneux Journal: Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci Date: 2013-06-24 Impact factor: 6.237