Mapping the Process and the Resources that are Needed to Implement A Praziquantel Mass Drug Administration Program for Children Aged Five Years Old and Below in Resource Limited Settings.

Abstract

Background The early childhood development of millions of children in some low and medium income countries may be compromised by schistosomiasis infections contracted at the age of 5 years or below. Currently there are no standard guidelines for treating schistosomiasis in children that are five years and younger using praziquantel (PZQ), the only drug that the WHO recommends to treat schistosomiasis. This review is on processes and resources involved in the treatment of schistosomiasis in children aged five years and below. Methods An electronic search for peer-reviewed articles published in the period from 2008 to 2018 (August) was done in the Academic Search Complete, CINAHL with Full Text, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, and MEDLINE databases via EBSCOHost and Google Scholar databases. The search targeted journals that described the treatment of schistosomiasis in children five years and below using praziquantel. Results Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. The process of treating schistosomiasis in the children aged five years old and below included the following activities: enrolment of the children into the treatment program; clinical examination; diagnosis; taking anthropometric measurements; feeding the children, making the PZQ palatable to the children; administration of PZQ and monitoring of side effects. There was also a variation in the resources used to treat children aged five- and below for schistosomiasis. Conclusions A PZQ mass drug administration program for children aged five years old and below in endemic areas should exclude diagnosis of schistosomiasis before treatment. The resources required in the treatment process should be affordable, should not require skills and maintenance resources that are beyond those that are available at primary healthcare level.