Control of Schistosoma mansoni transmission by chemotherapy in St. Lucia. I. Results in man
Cook, J.A.; Jordan, P.; Bartholomew, R.K.
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 26(5 Pt 1): 887-893
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9637 PMID: 907051 Document Number: 116536
Control of Schistosoma mansoni transmission solely by treatment of all infected persons was attempted in Marquis Valley (population about 3,100), St. Lucia. 677 of 729 found to be infected were given a single injection of hycanthone at 2.5 mg/kg body-weight. The same treatment was given to 159 of the 164 people found infected the following year. In villages with initially high transmission rates, the incidence of new infections in children (0 to 14 years) fell from 20.8% to 7.4% after the first year and to 3.7% after the 2nd. It is concluded that chemotherapy alone appears to be a rapid, effective and comparatively inexpensive method of controlling S. mansoni transmission in St. Lucia.