A School-Based Cross-Sectional Survey of Adverse Events following Co-Administration of Albendazole and Praziquantel for Preventive Chemotherapy against Urogenital Schistosomiasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis in Kwale County, Kenya

Abstract

BackgroundSoil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis are mostly prevalent in developing countries due to poor sanitation and lack of adequate clean water. School-age children tend to be the target of chemotherapy-based control programmes because they carry the heaviest worm and egg burdens. The present study examines adverse events (AEs) experienced following co-administration of albendazole and praziquantel to school-age children in a rural area in Kwale County, Kenya.MethodsChildren were treated with single doses of albendazole and praziquantel tablets and then interviewed using a questionnaire for post treatment AEs.ResultsOverall, 752 children, 47.6% boys, participated in the study. Their median (interquartile range) age was 12.0 (10.0–14.0) years. A total of 190 (25.3%) children reportedly experienced at least one AE. In total, 239 cases of AEs were reported with the most frequent being abdominal pains (46.3%), dizziness (33.2%) and nausea (21.1%). Majority of the reported AEs (80.8%) resolved themselves while 12.1% and 6.3% were countered by, respectively, self-medication and visiting a nearby health facility. More girls (60.5%) than boys (39.5%) reported AEs (P = 0.027).ConclusionsThe AEs were mild and transient, and were no worse than those expected following monotherapy. The current study adds to the evidence base that dual administration of albendazole and praziquantel in school-based mass drug administration is safe with only mild adverse events noted.

Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis preventive chemotherapy: Adverse events in children from 2 to 15 years in Bengo province, Angola

“…The present study reported different proportions of AEs comparable to those found in other studies involving praziquantel and / or albendazole. However, there are variations that may occur due to the heterogeneous antecedents of the participating individuals, such as age, nutritional and immunological status, socioeconomic conditions, environmental exposure, prevalence and intensity of infection, stage of parasite development, etc [13,18,20,21,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37]. Zwang et al reviewed the efficacy and safety of PZQ (40mg/kg), and report that the main AEs experienced and their incidences are mainly abdominal pain (31.8%), muscle pain (29.2%), joint pain (20.2%), headache (13.6%), diarrhoea (12.9%), fatigue (9.6%), nausea (10.6%), dizziness (11.9%), vomiting (7.9%) and itching (9.8%) [18].…”

“…When the caretaker was, absent and children had discernment to respond, the interview was performed with the children. Mild-to-moderate AEs were defined as undesirable experiences following drug administration, similarly to others, and severe AEs were defined as symptoms and signs due to administration drugs, which forced parents or caretaker to take their children to the health facility to be observed or hospitalized [31].…”

Epidemic hysteria following the National School Deworming Day, Zamboanga Peninsula, Philippines, 2015

“…Cases were classified based on WHO guidelines for degree of severity. ( 8 , 9 ) Odds ratios (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CI) and P -values were calculated using Epi Info version 3.5.4. Risk factors approaching significance ( P < 0.2) in bivariate analysis were included in a multivariable logistic regression using the backward elimination procedure.…”

Persistent Transmission of Schistosomiasis in Southwest Nigeria: Contexts of Culture and Contact with Infected River Water

“…Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease. It is also a major source of morbidity and mortality in developing countries in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia (Njenga et al 2014). Schistosomiasis, known as bilharzias, or snail fever is a very widespread disease in the developing world and the second most socioeconomically devastating tropical disease in the world after malaria (Kinunghi et al 2014).…”

“…The disease can be found in areas where the water contains numerous freshwater snails, which may harbour the parasite and serve as the intermediate host between mammalian hosts (Alebie et al 2014). According to Njenga et al (2014), individuals within developing countries who cannot afford proper sanitation facilities are often exposed to contaminated water containing the infected snails.…”