title: Successful Control of Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis in School Age Children in Burkina Faso and an Example of Community-Based Assessment via Lymphatic Filariasis Transmission Assessment Survey.
abstract: Burkina Faso is endemic with soil-transmitted helminth infections. Over a decade of preventive chemotherapy has been implemented through annual lymphatic filariasis (LF) mass drug administration (MDA) for population aged five years and over, biennial treatment of school age children with albendazole together with schistosomiasis MDA and biannual treatment of pre-school age children through Child Health Days. Assessments were conducted to evaluate the current situation and to determine the treatment strategy for the future.
  
  
  
  A cross-sectional assessment was conducted in 22 sentinel sites across the country in 2013. In total, 3,514 school age children (1,748 boys and 1,766 girls) were examined by the Kato-Katz method. Overall, soil-transmitted helminth prevalence was 1.3% (95% CI: 1.0-1.8%) in children examined. Hookworm was the main species detected, with prevalence of 1.2% (95% CI: 0.9-1.6%) and mean egg counts of 2.1 epg (95% CI: 0-4.2 epg). Among regions, the Centre Ouest region had the highest hookworm prevalence of 3.4% (95% CI: 1.9-6.1%) and mean egg counts of 14.9 epg (95% CI: 3.3-26.6 epg). A separate assessment was conducted in the Centre Nord region in 2014 using community-based cluster survey design during an LF transmission assessment survey (TAS). In this assessment, 351 children aged 6-7 years and 345 children aged 10-14 years were examined, with two cases (0.6% (95% CI: 0.2-2.1%)) and seven cases (2.0% (95% CI: 1.0-4.1%)) of hookworm infection was identified respectively. The results using both age groups categorized the region to be 2% to <10% in STH prevalence according to the pre-defined cut-off values.
  
  
  
  Through large-scale preventive chemotherapy, Burkina Faso has effectively controlled STH in school age children in the country. Research should be conducted on future strategies to consolidate the gain and to interrupt STH transmission in Burkina Faso. It is also demonstrated that LF TAS provides one feasible and efficient platform to assess the STH situation for post LF MDA decision making.
authors.affiliation: Programme National de Lutte contre les Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Direction de la Lutte contre la Maladies, Ministère de la Santé, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Drabo
authors.affiliation: Programme National de Lutte contre les Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Direction de la Lutte contre la Maladies, Ministère de la Santé, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: Hamado
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ouedraogo
authors.affiliation: Programme National de Lutte contre les Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Direction de la Lutte contre la Maladies, Ministère de la Santé, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bougma
authors.affiliation: Programme National de Lutte contre les Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Direction de la Lutte contre la Maladies, Ministère de la Santé, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: Clarisse
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bougouma
authors.affiliation: Helen Keller International, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: Issouf
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bamba
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Research Institute (IRSS), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: Dramane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zongo
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Research Institute (IRSS), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.|University of Ouagadougou, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bagayan
authors.affiliation: Helen Keller International, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.affiliation: Helen Keller International, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yago-Wienne
authors.affiliation: Helen Keller International, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.affiliation: Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center, Task Force for Global Health, Decatur, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Helen Keller International, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toubali
authors.affiliation: Helen Keller International, Regional Office for Africa, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Yaobi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002050:Burkina Faso / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004605:Elephantiasis, Filarial / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012987:Soil / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D012987:Soil