The health of enrolled and non enrolled children of school age in Tanga, Tanzania.
The health of 227 children enrolled at primary school was compared with that of 214 non enrolled children living in rural Tanga, Tanzania. No consistent difference was observed with respect to prevalence and intensity of parasitic infection (hookworm, T. trichiura, A. lumbricoides, S. haematobium and P. falciparum). Since enrolled children were as commonly and as heavily infected as non enrolled children, treatment of enrolled children would be effective in reducing transmission throughout the total population. Non enrolled children were more stunted (P=0.0001) and wasted (P=0.0001) than enrolled children and also tended to be more anaemic (P=0.080) showing that poor nutrition is not only associated with delayed enrolment but continues to be associated with non enrolment throughout the school age years. Given that treatment has the greatest impact on the most malnourished children, additional measures to extend treatment to non enrolled children would be justified.
Beasley
N M
NM
Partnership for Child Development, Wellcome Trust Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, Oxford University, South Parks Road, OX1 3PS, Oxford, UK.
Hall
A
A
Tomkins
A M
AM
Donnelly
C
C
Ntimbwa
P
P
Kivuga
J
J
Kihamia
C M
CM
Lorri
W
W
Bundy
D A
DA
D000818:Animals; D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D003906:Developing Countries; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006376:Helminths; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population; D013334:Students; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D014556:Urine / Q000469:parasitology
D006454:Hemoglobins