Elimination of morbidity due to soil-transmitted helminthiases among Afghan schoolchildren.

Large sectors of the Afghan population have limited access to safe water and sanitation, which increases the risk of transmission of water- and food- borne diseases, including Soil-Transmitted Helminth (STH) infections. STHs interfere with the human host's health status, and their burden of disease is highest among children of school age. Based on the results of a nationwide survey conducted in 2003, which showed an STH prevalence of 47.2%, and with the aim of reducing morbidity among school children, Afghanistan has been conducting nationwide deworming for preschool-age and school-age children since 2004. In 2017, 14 years after the first baseline assessment, a follow-up survey was carried out among schoolchildren aged 8-10 years to provide an update on STH epidemiology and facilitate evidence-informed planning of future deworming campaigns. Stool samples were collected from 2263 pupils aged 8-10 years in five provinces representing the different ecological zones of the country - Kabul, Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar and Kandahar. Microscopic examination was carried out by the Kato-Katz thick smear technique, to assess the presence and the number of parasites and/or their eggs. The survey revealed that 26.6% of the sample was infected with at least one of the STH, a marked decrease from the level registered in 2003. The most prevalent infection was the one with A. lumbricoides (25.7%), followed by T. trichiura (1.0%) and hookworms (0.1%). All positive children were noted to have light-intensity infections, compared to the previous survey where 9.7% of the sample had moderate-to-heavy intensity infections. Only 0.2% of the children had co-infection with two or more parasites. Meanwhile, 6.8% of the students were found infected with the dwarf tapeworm, Hymenolepis nana. The absence of infections of moderate-to-heavy intensity after several yearly rounds of deworming and overall improvements in provision of safe water and sanitation, indicates successful control of morbidity due to STH and, overall, their elimination as a public-health problem from Afghanistan. Nevertheless, current levels of prevalence of infection still show persistence of active transmission of STHs, thus justifying the continued implementation of mass deworming interventions among children. The permanent elimination of STH transmission, however, will be possible only when the country reaches a sanitation level sufficient to impede fecal contamination of the environment with human excreta.

Safi N ，Warusavithana S ，Shah Alawi SA ，Atta H ，Montresor A ，Gabrielli AF ... -  《-》

Association of community sanitation usage with soil-transmitted helminth infections among school-aged children in Amhara Region, Ethiopia.

Oswald WE ，Stewart AE ，Kramer MR ，Endeshaw T ，Zerihun M ，Melak B ，Sata E ，Gessese D ，Teferi T ，Tadesse Z ，Guadie B ，King JD ，Emerson PM ，Callahan EK ，Freeman MC ，Flanders WD ，Clasen TF ，Moe CL ... -  《Parasites & Vectors》

Factors associated with soil-transmitted helminths infection in Benin: Findings from the DeWorm3 study.

Avokpaho EFGA ，Houngbégnon P ，Accrombessi M ，Atindégla E ，Yard E ，Rubin Means A ，Kennedy DS ，Littlewood DTJ ，Garcia A ，Massougbodji A ，Galagan SR ，Walson JL ，Cottrell G ，Ibikounlé M ，Ásbjörnsdóttir KH ，Luty AJF ... -  《PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases》

Soil-transmitted Helminth Infections in Schoolchildren of Laguna de Perlas (Nicaragua).

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) prevalence, intensity, polyparasitism and co-infections in 425 children from 3 schools of Laguna de Perlas (Nicaragua) were investigated. Single stool samples were analysed by the formalin-ether method and the Kato-Katz. A total of 402 (94.6%) children were infected. Trichuris trichiura 308 (72.4%), Ascaris lumbricoides 115 (27.1%) and Hookworms 54 (12.7%) were the most prevalent STHs. Polyparasitism (322; 75.8%) with two species was most prevalent (109; 25.6%). T. trichiura with A. lumbricoides (19.3%) and T. trichiura with Hookworm (6.8%) were the most common combinations. Positive associations were observed between T. trichiura and A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura and Hookworm (p = 0.0001). Highest Hookworm intensities appeared when three STH co-infections occurred. Moderate- heavy STH intensities appear in up to 42.1% in trichuriasis, 57.5% in ascariasis and 11.1% in Hookworm infections. Integrated control interventions covering children need to be implemented mainly in a rural environment.

Muñoz-Antoli C ，Pavón A ，Pérez P ，Toledo R ，Esteban JG ... -  《-》

Soil-transmitted helminth infection in school age children in Sierra Leone after a decade of preventive chemotherapy interventions.

Bah YM ，Bah MS ，Paye J ，Conteh A ，Saffa S ，Tia A ，Sonnie M ，Veinoglou A ，Amon JJ ，Hodges MH ，Zhang Y ... -  《-》