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Developing strategies to control schistosomiasis morbidity in nonenrolled school‐age children: experience from Egypt
Author(s) -
Talaat Maha,
Omar Mahmoud,
Evans David
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
tropical medicine and international health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1365-3156
pISSN - 1360-2276
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3156.1999.00439.x
Subject(s) - schistosomiasis , praziquantel , medicine , psychological intervention , christian ministry , developing country , environmental health , schistosoma haematobium , population , pediatrics , family medicine , economic growth , helminths , nursing , immunology , political science , economics , law
Summary Schistosomiasis is a major health problem in school‐age children in much of the tropical world. They harbour the most intense infections for both Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium . In Egypt, the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) has implemented a successful school‐based treatment programme in which children are screened and those found to be infected treated with praziquantel. High nonenrolment rates in some rural areas have a negative impact on the coverage of this programme and on its ability to reduce transmission in the community. The main aim of our study was to introduce and test a simple intervention to extend treatment to nonenrolled children using the routine MOHP schistosomiasis treatment programme. Twenty villages or ezbas in Tamia district, Fayoum governorate, with 8 schools and 1901 nonenrolled children were targeted. 88.5% of nonenrolled children attended schools to avail themselves of treatment. Coverage rates were significantly higher for girls ( P < 0.001). These results are important for countries where schistosomiasis is endemic. They suggest that offering interventions in schools may not only improve the health of school attendees but also be an affordable way of extending services to out‐of‐school children.