Is the exclusion of children under 24 months from anthelmintic treatment justifiable?
There are no reports documenting toxicity or adverse effects after treatment of children aged < 24 months with benzimidazole derivatives and there is an urgent need to clarify this point in light of the potential detrimental effect that soil-transmitted helminthiasis has on this age-group. A total of 653 treatments (317 mebendazole 500 mg; 336 placebo) were administered in 1996/97 to 212 children aged < 24 months as part of a 1-year anthelmintic drug study conducted among preschool-age children in Tanzania. Data on fever, cough, diarrhoea, dysentery and acute respiratory illness were collected 1 week following the treatment. No differences between the occurrence of adverse effects in the 2 groups were observed. In light of the potential nutritional benefit achieved by regular deworming in this young age-group, the policy that excludes children aged < 24 months from treatment should be re-considered.
Montresor
Antonio
A
Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. montresora@who.int
Stoltzfus
Rebecca J
RJ
Albonico
Marco
M
Tielsch
James M
JM
Rice
Amy L
AL
Chwaya
Hababu M
HM
Savioli
Lorenzo
L
D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003657:Decision Making; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008463:Mebendazole / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018579:Patient Selection; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology
D000871:Anthelmintics; D008463:Mebendazole