Schistosomiasis is a public health problem in more than 78 countries in the world. The disease is most prevalent among children than adults due to their high exposure to infectious water sources. Various interventions such as mass drug administration (MDA), snail control, safe water provision and health education have been implemented independently or jointly to control, reduce and ultimately eliminate Schistosomiasis. This scoping review focused on studies reporting the impact of different delivery strategies of targeted treatment and MDA on the prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis infection in school aged children in Africa. The review focused on Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni species. A systematic search for eligible literature from peerreviewed articles was done from Google Scholar, Medline, PubMed and EBSCO host databases. The search yielded twenty-seven peer-reviewed articles. All articles found reported a decrease in the prevalence of schistosomiasis infection. Five studies (18.5%) reported a prevalence change below 40%, eighteen studies (66.7%) reported a change between 40% and 80%, and four studies (14.8%) reported a change above 80%. The infection intensity post-treatment was varied: twenty-four studies reported a decrease, while two studies reported an increase. The review showed that the impact of targeted treatment on the prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis depended on the frequency at which it was offered, complementary interventions, and its uptake by the target population. Targeted treatment can significantly control the infection burden, but cannot eliminate the disease. Constant MDA programs coupled with preventative and health promotional programs are required to reach the elimination stage.
BackgroundSchistosomiasis one of the major neglected tropical diseases that cause considerable public health problems in more than 78 tropical and subtropical countries. The disease is most prevalent among children who carry a disproportionately high worm load. Various interventions such as, Mass Drug Administration, snail control, safe water provision and health education on schistosomiasis have been implemented independently or jointly in an effort to control, reduce and ultimately eliminate this parasitic disease. The proposed review willquantify and evaluate the impact of these targeted interventions on the prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis infection in African primary schools.MethodologyThe Arkseys and O’Malley framework for scoping reviews will be used to conduct the study. We will systematically search for eligible literature from peer-reviewed articles and grey literature. Databases such as Google Scholar, Medline, PubMed and EBSCO host will be searched. In addition, websites like the World Health Organization and government websites will also be searched for articles on the impact of targeted treatment on the prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis in African primary schools. The scoping review will the conducted on studies that were published from 2000 to 2020. The Population Intervention, Comparison and Outcome (PICO) framework will be implemented to evaluate the eligibility of the research question. The results of the search will be reported utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) flow diagram. Furthermore, quality assessment for the selected primary studies will be conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT)Version 2018. Discussion We expect to gather research articles on various interventions and treatment modalities that have been implemented to reduce the prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis infection in African primary schools. This will allow us to quantify and evaluate the overall impact of the targeted treatment to reduce morbidity due to schistosomiasis. Findings from this scoping review will be disseminated in print and electronic to policy makers, researchers and academics through publication in accredited journals and at conferences or congresses.
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