An integrated approach to fight parasitic worms and diarrhoea

INTERVENTION: Praziquantel (single 40 mg/kg dose according to a dose pole for individuals aged >4 years) and albendazole (single 400 mg dose for individuals aged >2 years and single 200 mg dose for 1‐2 year old children), which are safe and efficacious drugs against schistosomiasis and soil‐transmitted helminthiasis, will be given to the whole study population in the 20 schools and the 40 communities. Among the 20 schools, 10 schools will be randomly selected and will have the animated health educational cartoon screen‐played. Furthermore, while all these 40 communities will receive preventive chemotherapy, 10 communities will additionally receive a community health education programme (CHEP) intervention that includes the animated health educational cartoon that is targeted at school‐aged children and a community health theatre for the entire community, another 10 communities will receive a community‐led total sanitation (CLTS) intervention, and 10 communities will receive both CHEP and CLTS interventions. CHEP and CLTS interventions will be randomly assigned to communities. Within each community 30 households will be randomly selected and their members invited for parasitological, anthropometric and KAPB investigations before the interventions and at 12 and 24 months post‐intervention. Diarrhoea monitoring will as well be undertaken in these households during 24 months at a 2 week interval. At the 20 schools, only children from grades 3‐6 will be invited for parasitological and KAPB assessment before intervention and 12 months after the baseline. CONDITION: Neglected tropical diseases (soil‐transmitted helminths, schistosomes, intestinal protozoa) and diarrhoea ; Infections and Infestations PRIMARY OUTCOME: Reinfection rates with soil‐transmitted helminths, schistosomes and intestinal protozoa and incidence of diarrhoea episodes 12 and 24 months after the baseline survey SECONDARY OUTCOME: KAPB with regard to sanitation and nutritional status of infants at baseline and 12 and 24 months after baseline INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Primary school child, aged 5‐15 years (grades 3‐6), male or female in the schoolbased survey 2. Infants aged between 12‐24 months, children aged 5‐15 years, young adults or adults aged above 15 years in the community survey 3. Written informed consent by a parent/guardian on behalf of the child younger than 18 years or written informed consent by adult participant 4. Submission of 1 urine and 1 stool sample at baseline 5. Completion of questionnaire by head of household in the community survey at baseline 6. Absence of difficult health condition as assessed by a medical doctor at baseline