Abstract
BackgroundDespite the intensive global efforts to control intestinal parasitic infections, the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections is still very high in many developing countries particularly among children in rural areas.MethodsA randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 250 Aboriginal schoolchildren in Malaysia to investigate the effects of a single high-dose of vitamin A supplementation (200 000 IU) on STH reinfection. The effect of the supplement was assessed at 3 and 6 months after receiving interventions; after a complete 3-day deworming course of 400 mg/daily of albendazole tablets.ResultsAlmost all children (98.6%) were infected with at least one STH species. The overall prevalence of ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm infection was 67.8%, 95.5% and 13.4%, respectively. Reinfection rates of Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm were high; at 6 months, assessment reached 80% of the prevalence reported before treatment. There were no significant differences in the reinfection rates and intensities of STH between vitamin A supplemented-children and those who received placebo at 3 and 6 months (p > 0.05).ConclusionsVitamin A supplementation showed no protective effect against STH reinfection and this could be due to the high endemicity of STH in this community. Long-term interventions to reduce poverty will help significantly in reducing this continuing problem and there is no doubt that reducing intestinal parasitic infection would have a positive impact on the health, nutrition and education of these children.Trial registrationThis trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00936091.
Highlights
Despite the intensive global efforts to control intestinal parasitic infections, the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections is still very high in many developing countries among children in rural areas
Soil-transmitted helminthiases caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworm are among the most common Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) by infecting about 1,200 million people worldwide with the greatest morbidity being among children and mothers of childbearing age [3,27]
The findings showed that the reinfection rates of STH were similar among the children in both groups suggesting that there was no protective effect for vitamin A supplementations against STH reinfection in these children
Summary
Despite the intensive global efforts to control intestinal parasitic infections, the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections is still very high in many developing countries among children in rural areas. Despite the intermittent deworming programmes conducted by the public and private sectors to control intestinal parasitic infections, the prevalence of STH infections is still very high in many developing countries including Malaysia, among rural and Aboriginal children [1,3]. This situation is not uncommon in developing countries with newly emerging economies where neglected tropical diseases like STH infections are rife in communities that do not receive effective control programmes and treatment [4]. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that the delivery of vitamin A capsules and anthelmintic tablets should be simultaneous as worm infections and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) have the same geographical distribution [11]
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