Treatment Of Schistosomiasis In Children Research Articles

Patient journey and resources mapping to implement a praziquantel mass drug administration program for children aged 5 years and below in resource-limited settings

BackgroundThe 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.MethodsAn 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.ResultsThirteen 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.ConclusionsA 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.

The use of height versus weight in determining praziquantel dose for treatment of Schistosomiasis in children

Background: Praziquantel (PZQ) is currently the drug of choice in treatment of Schistosomiasis because of its high efficacy, few and transient side effects, simple administration and competitive cost. In community-based management and during mass chemotherapy of Schistosomiasis, WHO recommended a dose pole where height is taken as a single parameter to select the required dose.Objective: To compare PZQ dose according to WHO dose pole with the calculated weightdependent dose and test their consistency.Method: We used a growth percentile ruler (MOSWAR) that includes weight, height, head circumference and body surface area according to age and sex. Data were then compiled into a table-form that included PZQ dose according to the dose pole and the calculated mean weightdependentdose.Results: The results showed that PZQ dose according to the dose pole is not consistent with the weight-dependent dose.Conclusion: During mass chemotherapy and community-based  management of Schistosomiasis in children, we recommend the use of a similar table or a device similar to (MOSWAR) to determine PZQ dose according to whichever of the growth parameters is available.

The acceptability and safety of praziquantel alone and in combination with mebendazole in the treatment of Schistosoma mansoni and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in children aged 1–4 years in Uganda

There is limited information on the acceptability and safety of praziquantel for treatment of schistosomiasis in children below the age of four years. In addition, although mebendazole has been extensively used together with praziquantel against infections with schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) in school-aged children, no specific acceptability or safety studies have been published on this drug combination in younger children. A randomized clinical trial was conducted to determine the safety of praziquantel alone and in combination with mebendazole in the treatment of Schistosoma mansoni and STH in children aged 1 to 4 years. A total of 596 children from Bwondha fishing community in Mayuge district and Wang-Kado fishing community in Nebbi district were investigated using duplicate Kato-Katz thick smears of two stool samples and 130 (21·8%) were found infected with S. mansoni. Of these, 19·2% (25) had heavy intensity of infections. Of the infected children, 82 were included and randomised into praziquantel (40 mg/kg) + mebendazole (500 mg) or praziquantel (40 mg/kg) alone. Many symptoms were reported before treatment while very few were reported after treatment and all on treatment day. No serious adverse events were reported or observed after treatment. Praziquantel with or without mebendazole was well tolerated in small children in the study area.

Two artesunate-based therapies for malaria are also effective in the treatment of schistosomiasis in children,

Two artesunate-based therapies for malaria are also effective in the treatment of schistosomiasis in children,