02173nas a2200229   4500000000100000008004100001653003900042653004100081653002800122653004300150653002000193100001600213700001500229700001600244700001400260700001500274700001600289700001800305245011100323520149500434022001401929       2018                            d10aNeglected tropical diseases (NTDs)10aSoil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH)10apreventive chemotherapy10aDisability-adjusted life-years (DALYs)10aChild morbidity1 aMontresor A1 aTrouleau W1 aMupfasoni D1 aBangert M1 aJoseph S A1 aMikhailov A1 aFitzpatrick C00aPreventive chemotherapy to control soil-transmitted helminthiasis averted more than 500 000 DALYs in 2015.3 a<p><strong>Background: </strong>Preventive chemotherapy (PC), the large-scale administration of anthelminthics, is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the control of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH). Since 2010, donated anthelminthics for STH have boosted the implementation of PC programmes in children, achieving global coverage of more than 60% in 2015. The WHO Global Health Estimates attribute an annual loss of over 3.3 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) to STH. The aim of this study is to estimate the impact of PC programmes on child morbidity.</p>

<p><strong>Method: </strong>We used data from the WHO Global Health Estimates, national coverage data on PC and the results of an evaluation of the impact of PC in 17 countries on morbidity previously conducted by our group.</p>

<p><strong>Results: </strong>We estimated that the implementation of PC averted in 2015 over 44% of the DALYs that would have been caused in children by STH without the control intervention. A reduction in morbidity of over 75% is expected, if the global target is reached in 2020. If the programme is subsequently maintained, morbidity from STH will be almost totally removed by 2025.</p>

<p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In endemic areas, preventive chemotherapy provides a significant health benefit. We consider this estimation potentially useful to evaluate the cost utility of the investment made by several endemic countries on PC to control STH.</p>
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