Effect of Mass Stool Examination and Mass Treatment For Decreasing Intestinal Helminth and Protozoan Infection Rates in Bolivian Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

• Published in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases 2016-12, Vol.10 (12), p.e0005147-e0005147
• Main Authors: Asai, Takao, Còrdova Vidal, Claudia, Strauss, Wilma, Ikoma, Toshikazu, Endoh, Kazuo, Yamamoto, Masaharu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Animals; Anthelmintics; Biology and Life Sciences; Bolivia - epidemiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnosis; Drug therapy; Entamoeba histolytica - isolation & purification; Entamoebiasis - drug therapy; Entamoebiasis - epidemiology; Entamoebiasis - parasitology; Entamoebiasis - prevention & control; Feces - parasitology; Female; Giardia lamblia - isolation & purification; Giardiasis - drug therapy; Giardiasis - epidemiology; Giardiasis - parasitology; Giardiasis - prevention & control; Health aspects; Helminthiasis; Helminthiasis - drug therapy; Helminthiasis - epidemiology; Helminthiasis - parasitology; Helminthiasis - prevention & control; Humans; Hymenolepiasis - drug therapy; Hymenolepiasis - epidemiology; Hymenolepiasis - parasitology; Hymenolepiasis - prevention & control; Hymenolepis - isolation & purification; Infections; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - drug therapy; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - epidemiology; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - prevention & control; Male; Mass Screening; Medical technology; Medicine and Health Sciences; Parasites; Prevalence; Protozoa; Protozoan Infections - epidemiology; Sedimentation & deposition; Students; Thiazoles - therapeutic use; Tropical diseases; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1935-2735; 1935-2727; 1935-2735
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005147

Bolivia is one of the countries with a high intestinal helminth and protozoan infection rate. Despite the high prevalence of the parasitic infection, nationwide preventive measures for Bolivian children have not yet been implemented. We evaluated the effect of mass stool examination and treatment as a strategy for decreasing the infection rate. This study was conducted between 2013 and 2015 in children aged 2-18 years. A total of 2,033 stool samples (575 in 2013, 815 in 2014 and 642 in 2015) were collected and examined using the formalin-ether medical sedimentation method. As an anthelminthic medicine, nitazoxanide was given to all infected children within 2 months post-examination, each year. The effect of mass stool examination and treatment was evaluated based on the changes in the overall or individual parasitic infection rates during the study period. The overall parasitic infection rate decreased significantly from 65.2% in 2013 to 43.0% in 2015; a 22.2 percentage point decrease (P