Background: In many rural areas of tropical countries such as Indonesia, the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths (STH) infections remains high. At the same time, the burden of allergic disorders in such rural areas is reported to be low and inversely associated with helminth infections. To reduce the morbidity and transmission of helminth infections, the world health organization recommends preventive treatment of school children by providing mass drug administration (MDA) with albendazole. Here, we had an opportunity to evaluate the prevalence of skin reactivity to allergens before and after albendazole treatment to get an indication of the possible impact of MDA on allergic sensitization. Methods: A study was conducted among 150 school children living in an area endemic for STH infections. Before and 1 year after anthelminthic treatment with albendazole, stool samples were examined for the presence of STH eggs, skin prick tests (SPT) for cockroach and house dust mites were performed, blood eosinophilia was assessed, and total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in plasma. Results: Anthelminthic treatment significantly reduced the prevalence of STH from 19.6 before treatment to 6% after treatment (p < 0.001). Levels of total IgE (estimate: 0.30; 95% CI 0.22–0.42, p < 0.0001), CRP (estimate: 0.60; 95% CI 0.42–0.86, p = 0.006), and eosinophil counts (estimate: 0.70; 95% CI 0.61–0.80, p < 0.001) decreased significantly. The prevalence of SPT positivity increased from 18.7 to 32.7%. Multivariate analysis adjusted for confounding factors showed an increased risk of being SPT positive to any allergen (OR 3.04; 95% CI 1.338–6.919, p = 0.008). Conclusions: This study indicates that 1 year of MDA with albendazole was associated with a reduced prevalence of STH infections. This study shows that the prevalence of allergic sensitization increases after 1 year of albendazole treatment. Placebo-controlled and larger studies are needed to further substantiate a role of deworming treatment in an increased risk of allergic sensitization.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a multifaceted disease and pandemic control requires a collaborative approach between various stakeholders from frontline doctors to governing bodies. Here we report the challenges faced in early COVID-19 cases that were admitted to Balikpapan General Hospital, East Borneo, Indonesia. We highlighted the insufficiencies in implementing the regulations endorsed by Indonesian Government in low resource settings.

: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) occurs in 1 of 10 women of reproductive age. This syndrome is highly associated with obesity. Therefore, many of the patients face weight loss challenges. Given that many patients find it rather difficult to change their lifestyle, medicamentous intervention poses an option. Orlistat is an inhibitor of carboxyl ester lipase which inhibits the hydrolysis of dietary triglycerides that decreases the absorption of fatty acids and monoglyceride. The purpose of this study is to determine whether administration of orlistat can improve diet and exercise-induced body weight reduction in PCOS patients with obesity. Literature searching was done in 3 databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase which yielded 141 articles. Findings were narrowed down using duplicate removal, inclusion and exclusion criteria into two relevant articles of randomized controlled trials. One randomized clinical trial showed a greater percentage in weight loss in PCOS patients BMI>23 kg/m2 administered with orlistat and lifestyle modification in comparison to lifestyle modification alone (7.81% (6.51-9.11%) vs 4.7% (4.19-5.21%) ; p<0.001). Similar body weight reduction was also found by another randomized clinical trial in PCOS patients BMI>25 kg/m2 with orlistat treatment (from 81.5 kg (80.3-82.7) to 76.2 kg (74.92-77.48) vs from 80.91 kg (79.65-82.17) to 79.15 kg (77.8-80.5) ; p<0.01). It was concluded that a considerable reduction of weight in obese and overweight PCOS patients was found when given orlistat with exercise and dietary interventions compared to exercise and dietary interventions alone.