Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

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.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/s0001-706x(00)00101-7

Type

Journal article

Journal

Acta tropica

Publication Date

10/2000

Volume

76

Pages

223 - 229

Addresses

Partnership for Child Development, Wellcome Trust Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, Oxford University, South Parks Road, OX1 3PS, Oxford, UK.

Keywords

Urine, Feces, Animals, Humans, Helminths, Plasmodium falciparum, Parasitic Diseases, Hemoglobins, Body Height, Prevalence, Health Status, Nutritional Status, Developing Countries, Students, Child, Rural Population, Tanzania, Female, Male