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Putting the treatment of paediatric schistosomiasis into context

Overview of attention for article published in Infectious Diseases of Poverty, April 2017
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Title
Putting the treatment of paediatric schistosomiasis into context
Published in
Infectious Diseases of Poverty, April 2017
DOI 10.1186/s40249-017-0300-8
Pubmed ID
Authors

Takafira Mduluza, Francisca Mutapi

Abstract

Despite increased international efforts to control schistosomiasis using preventive chemotherapy, several challenges still exist in reaching the target populations. Until recently, preschool-aged children had been excluded from the recommended target population for mass drug administration, i.e. primary school children aged 6-15 years. Our studies and those of others provided the evidence base for the need to treat preschool-aged children that led to recommendations by the World Health Organization to include preschool-aged children in treatment programmes in 2010. The major challenge now lies in the unavailability of a child-size formulation of the appropriate anthelmintic drug, praziquantel.The currently available formulation of praziquantel presents several problems. First, it is a large tablet, making it difficult for young children and infants to swallow it and thus requires its breaking/crushing to allow for safe uptake. Second, it is bitter so it is often mixed with a sweetener to make it palatable for young children. Third, the current formulation of 600 mg does not allow for flexible dose adjustments for this age group. Thus, there is a need to formulate a child-appropriate praziquantel tablet.This paper discusses the target product profile for paediatric praziquantel, as well as knowledge gaps pertinent to the successful control of schistosome infection and disease in preschool-aged children.

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The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 95 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 95 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Master 24 25%
Student > Ph. D. Student 12 13%
Student > Bachelor 10 11%
Researcher 8 8%
Other 6 6%
Other 16 17%
Unknown 19 20%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Medicine and Dentistry 18 19%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 10 11%
Nursing and Health Professions 9 9%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 9 9%
Immunology and Microbiology 6 6%
Other 21 22%
Unknown 22 23%