Optimizing community health workers and nonbiomedical approaches to assess the burden of soil-transmitted helminthiasis in a school-aged population in rural Rwanda.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) remain a public health problem for children in low- and middle-income countries. Conventional methods for STH diagnosis require well-equipped laboratories and trained personnel, which are often scarce or inaccessible in rural and resource-limited settings. Algorithmic non-biomedical screening tools are a potential strategy for community health workers (CHWs) to ensure rapid STH detection and referral of children. This exploratory feasibility study aimed at assessing whether a CHW-led, algorithm-based screening program could identify school-aged children with symptoms suggestive of STH and examining behavioral and environmental factors associated with a positive screening outcome in rural Rwanda.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectio

SUBMITTER: Manzi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12573845 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature