Adjustments in case of overweight and obesity to the WHO tablet pole for praziquantel administration.

Abstract

The WHO tablet pole was developed in 2001 to facilitate the distribution of praziquantel in large-scale treatment campaigns for the control of schistosomiasis. Although a number of field studies have confirmed the accuracy of the tool in normal individuals, some studies have demonstrated that overweight and obese individuals are underdosed. This article proposes an adjustment in the number of praziquantel tablets for treatment of individuals who are overweight or obese according to their body mass index. We demonstrate that by adding an extra tablet of praziquantel to that indicated by the WHO tablet pole, the tool provides the appropriate number of tablets for treatment of overweight and obese individuals. We also propose a pictogram be included in the instructions for use of the WHO tablet pole.