Mhlengi Vella Ncube1,2, Muhubiri Kabuyaya3, Moses John Chimbari3. 1. School of Nursing and Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. mhlengivncube@yahoo.com. 2. Medical Affairs Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa. mhlengivncube@yahoo.com. 3. School of Nursing and Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The early childhood development of millions of children in some low- and medium-income countries may be compromised by schistosomiasis infections contracted at the age of 5 years and below. Currently, there are no standard guidelines for treating schistosomiasis in children that are 5 years and younger using praziquantel (PZQ), the only drug that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends for treating schistosomiasis. The review is on processes and resources involved in the treatment of schistosomiasis in children aged 5 years and below. METHODS: An electronic search for peer-reviewed articles published in the period from January 2011 to August 2021 was done in the Academic Search Complete, CINAHL with Full Text, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, and MEDLINE databases via EBSCOHost and Google Scholar databases. The search targeted journals that described the treatment of schistosomiasis in children 5 years and below using praziquantel. RESULTS: Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The patient journey for treating schistosomiasis in children aged 5 years old and below using PZQ included the following activities: enrolment of the children into the treatment program; clinical examination; diagnosis; taking anthropometric measurements; feeding the children, making the PZQ palatable to the children; administration of PZQ; and monitoring of side effects. There was also a variation in the resources used to treat children aged 5 and below for schistosomiasis. CONCLUSIONS: A PZQ mass drug administration program for children aged 5 years old and below in endemic areas should exclude the diagnosis of schistosomiasis before treatment. The resources required in the treatment process should be affordable, and should not require skills and maintenance resources that are beyond those that are available at the primary healthcare level.
BACKGROUND: The early childhood development of millions of children in some low- and medium-income countries may be compromised by schistosomiasis infections contracted at the age of 5 years and below. Currently, there are no standard guidelines for treating schistosomiasis in children that are 5 years and younger using praziquantel (PZQ), the only drug that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends for treating schistosomiasis. The review is on processes and resources involved in the treatment of schistosomiasis in children aged 5 years and below. METHODS: An electronic search for peer-reviewed articles published in the period from January 2011 to August 2021 was done in the Academic Search Complete, CINAHL with Full Text, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, and MEDLINE databases via EBSCOHost and Google Scholar databases. The search targeted journals that described the treatment of schistosomiasis in children 5 years and below using praziquantel. RESULTS: Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The patient journey for treating schistosomiasis in children aged 5 years old and below using PZQ included the following activities: enrolment of the children into the treatment program; clinical examination; diagnosis; taking anthropometric measurements; feeding the children, making the PZQ palatable to the children; administration of PZQ; and monitoring of side effects. There was also a variation in the resources used to treat children aged 5 and below for schistosomiasis. CONCLUSIONS: A PZQ mass drug administration program for children aged 5 years old and below in endemic areas should exclude the diagnosis of schistosomiasis before treatment. The resources required in the treatment process should be affordable, and should not require skills and maintenance resources that are beyond those that are available at the primary healthcare level.
Authors: A M D Navaratnam; J C Sousa-Figueiredo; J R Stothard; N B Kabatereine; A Fenwick; M J Mutumba-Nakalembe Journal: Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg Date: 2012-05-30 Impact factor: 2.184
Authors: Allen G P Ross; Remigio M Olveda; Delia Chy; David U Olveda; Yuesheng Li; Donald A Harn; Darren J Gray; Donald P McManus; Veronica Tallo; Thao N P Chau; Gail M Williams Journal: J Infect Dis Date: 2014-07-28 Impact factor: 5.226
Authors: J Russell Stothard; José C Sousa-Figueiredo; Martha Betson; Helen K Green; Edmund Y W Seto; Amadou Garba; Moussa Sacko; Francisca Mutapi; Susana Vaz Nery; Mutamad A Amin; Margaret Mutumba-Nakalembe; Annalan Navaratnam; Alan Fenwick; Narcis B Kabatereine; Albis F Gabrielli; Antonio Montresor Journal: Parasitology Date: 2011-08-24 Impact factor: 3.234
Authors: Michael D French; Darin Evans; Fiona M Fleming; W Evan Secor; Nana-Kwadwo Biritwum; Simon J Brooker; Amaya Bustinduy; Anouk Gouvras; Narcis Kabatereine; Charles H King; Maria Rebollo Polo; Jutta Reinhard-Rupp; David Rollinson; Louis-Albert Tchuem Tchuenté; Jürg Utzinger; Johannes Waltz; Yaobi Zhang Journal: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Date: 2018-06-28