Differential impact of mass and targeted praziquantel delivery on schistosomiasis control in school-aged children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Schistosomiasis is a widespread public health concern in the poorest regions of the world. The principal control strategy is regular praziquantel administration to school-aged children in endemic areas. With calls for the elimination of schistosomiasis as a public health problem, expanding praziquantel delivery to all community members has been advocated. This systematic review and meta-analysis compares the impact of community-wide and child-targeted praziquantel distribution on schistosomiasis prevalence and intensity in school-aged children.

Methodology/principal findings

We searched MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science to identify papers that reported schistosome prevalence before and after praziquantel administration, either to children only or to all community

SUBMITTER: Cribb DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6808504 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature