The impact of community deworming against Soil Transmitted Helminthiases on prevalence, worm burden and morbidity in a high prevalence area of Argentinean Gran Chaco.

ECHAZÚ, A; PAOLA VARGAS; JUAREZ, M; CAJAL, SP; CIMINO, R; CRUZ, D; RUIZ, R; HEREDIA, V; PAREDES, G; ARIAS, LM; KROLEWIECKI, A

New Orleans

Encuentro; 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; 2014

American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) are the most prevalent infections of human-kind, relevant to public health due its morbidity and role in poverty perpetuation. Tartagal, Gran-Chaco, Argentina is a high prevalence area where no preventive anthelminthic chemotherapy was recently applied. This study, conducted in Tartagal since March 2012, investigates the results of community-based mass drug administration (MDA) and lasting until 2015. Population: ~3600 individuals. Surveillance of a statistically representative random group, with fresh stool sample analysis, complete blood count and detection of IgG against S.stercoralis with NIE-ELISA. Treatment intervention: single dose albendazole + ivermectin. Survey: n=157 stool; n=149 blood for baseline and n=103 stool; n=152 blood 6 months later. Baseline prevalences for any STH at baseline and follow-up were 55 and 16% respectively; and for HKW 50 and 13% respectively (p