Impact of Targeted Treatment on the Prevalence and Intensity of Schistosomiasis in Primary School Children in Africa: A Scoping Review

Abstract

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.