Browsing by Author "Ebenezer, R."

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Cluster randomized trial of the impact of school based deworming and weekly iron supplementation on haemoglobin level of plantation primary school children
(College of the Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 2013) Ebenezer, R.; Gunawardena, N.K.; Kumarendran, B.; Pathmeswaran, A.; de Silva, N.R.
BACKGROUND: School-based deworming and iron supplementation are being promoted as effective interventions to deal with the high prevalence of anaemia among school children. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of school based deworming and weekly iron supplementation on increasing the haemoglobin level of primary school children in the plantation sector in Sri Lanka. METHODS: A placebo-controlled cluster randomized trial was conducted in which the treatment group received a single dose of 500 mg mebendazole and 6-months of weekly iron supplementation (200 mg ferrous sulphate) while the control group received placebo for both anthelmintic and iron. The tablets were administered by the class teacher. Children attending grade 4 in schools in the plantation sector were recruited. The treatment arm was allocated with 813 children attending 49 schools and the placebo arm with 808 children attending 49 schools. Height, weight and haemoglobin were measured at baseline and after 6-months. A regression model adjusting for the cluster design was used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention on the haemoglobin level. In order to increase the precision of the estimates, various background variables were controlled for in regression models. RESULTS: Complete data were available for 633 children in the treatment group and 613 children in the control group. The mean age was 9 years and 6 months and 52% of them were males. In the treatment arm 98% had received mebendazole and over 80% had received 16 doses of iron. A reduction in the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection (from 25.1% to 16.4%) was found in the treatment group, with significant differences between treatment and control groups in the levels of Ascaris and Trichuris. There was a small non-significant reduction in the mean haemoglobin level (at baseline 12.6g/dl, sd - 1.2) of both groups. No impact of treatment was found on haemoglobin levels. CONCLUSIONS: Though the intervention was effective in reducing the prevalence of STH infection there was no evidence of effectiveness in increasing haemoglobin levels.
Cluster-randomised trial of the impact of school-based deworming and iron supplementation on the cognitive abilities of schoolchildren in Sri Lanka's plantation sector
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2013) Ebenezer, R.; Gunawardena, K.; Kumarendran, B.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Jukes, M.C.; Drake, L.J.; de Silva, N.R.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of deworming and iron supplementation on the cognitive abilities and educational achievement of school-age children in Sri Lanka. METHODS: Prospective, placebo-controlled randomised study. The treatment group received deworming and weekly iron supplementationfor 6 months; the control group received placebo for both the anthelmintic and iron. A mixed effects regression model was used to answer the main research question. To increase the precision of this study's estimates, various background variables were controlled for that were not related to treatment but could have some impact on the outcome. RESULTS: The prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection was reduced in the treatment group (n = 615), with significant differences between treatment and control groups (n = 575) in the levels of Ascaris and Trichuris. No impact was found on haemoglobin (Hb) levels, nor any significant impact on concentration levels or on educational test scores. CONCLUSION: Decline in STH prevalence alone, in the absence of improved Hb status, produced no evidence of impact on concentration levels or educational test scores. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Soil-transmitted helminth infections among plantation sector schoolchildren in Sri Lanka: prevalence after ten years of preventive chemotherapy
(Public Library of Science, 2011) Gunawardena, K.; Kumarendran, B.; Ebenezer, R.; Gunasingha, M.S.; Pathmeswaran, A.; de Silva, N.
BACKGROUND: The plantation sector in Sri Lanka lags behind the rest of the country in terms of living conditions and health. In 1992, a sector-wide survey of children aged 3-12 years and women of reproductive age showed >90% prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections. Biannual mass de-worming targeting children aged 3-18 years started in 1994 and was continued until 2005. The present study was carried out to assess the status of infection four years after cessation of mass de-worming. METHODS/FINDINGS: A school-based cross-sectional survey was carried out. Faecal samples from approximately 20 children from each of 114 schools in five districts were examined using the modified Kato-Katz technique. Data regarding the school, the child's family and household sanitation were recorded after inspection of schools and households. Multivariate analysis was carried out using logistic regression, to identify risk factors for infection. Faecal samples were obtained from 1890 children. In 4/5 districts, >20% were infected with one or more helminth species. Overall combined prevalence was 29.0%; 11.6% had infections of moderate-heavy intensity. The commonest infection was Ascaris lumbricoides, present in all five districts, as was Trichuris trichiura. Hookworm was not detected in two districts. Multivariate analysis identified low altitude and maternal under-education as risk factors for all three infections. Poor household sanitation was identified as a risk factor for A. lumbricoides and hookworm, but not T. trichiura infections. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results indicate that regular mass de-worming of plantation sector children should be resumed along with more emphasis on better sanitation and health education. They show that even after 10 years of mass chemotherapy, prevalence can bounce back after cessation of preventive chemotherapy, if the initial force of transmission is strong and other long-term control measures are not concomitantly implemented.