Attempts to Achieve Millennium Development Goals in a Rural Area of Rio de Janeiro: Deworming and Control of Schistosomiasis

Introduction: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), helminth control could contribute to achieving ۷ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The present study evaluated the impact of deworming on the infection rate of schistosomiasis in Sumidouro, Brazil and the consequences for the MDGs. Methods: The whole population of this area was invited to participate in the ۲ stages of the study, the baseline from ۲۰۰۲ to ۲۰۰۳ and the follow-up from ۲۰۰۵ to ۲۰۰۶. Within this interval, no improvements to sanitation or access to safe water were undertaken. The statistical investigation was confined to the ۱۶۴ people who were tested in both surveys. The diagnosis of parasitosis was based on coproscopy by Kato-Katz smears. Infected people were treated with a single oral dose of praziquantel. Results: The infection rate of schistosomiasis dropped from ۲۸.۷% (n=۴۷) to ۶.۷% (n=۱۱). Among women of childbearing age, this rate decreased was from ۲۷.۸% (n=۱۰) to ۵.۶% (n=۲), and among children, it dropped from ۱۴.۶% (n=۶) to ۳.۳% (n=۱). Conclusion: As there was no improvement in sanitation, deworming might have led to the reduced transmission of schistosomiasis. The drop in infection rate of schistosomiasis in children and women of childbearing age supports the argument that deworming would allow for the reduction of child mortality and the promotion of gender equality. A better future can also be foreseen, as no girl under ۱۵ years of age was infected.

کلیدواژه ها:

Schistosomiasis ، Praziquantel ، Rio de Janeiro ، Brazil