02353nas a2200337   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653002500054653001400079653000700093653001800100653002800118653003500146653001600181100001100197700001200208700001500220700001800235700001400253700001500267700001400282700001400296700001600310700001600326245011500342856009100457300002200548490000600570520142500576022001402001       2021                            d  c01/202110aAscaris lumbricoides10aCaribbean10aDR10aLatin America10apreventive chemotherapy10asoil-transmitted helminthiases10aAlbendazole1 aJapa I1 aAncha B1 aCustodio A1 aOhrenschall R1 aCordero R1 aDeverlis A1 aChapman J1 aHickson M1 aSteenhoff A1 aLowenthal E00aEffectiveness of Deworming with Single-Dose Albendazole for Preschool-Aged Children in the Dominican Republic.  uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7983463/pdf/10.1177_2333794X211002949.pdf  a2333794X2110029490 v83 a<p>. The World Health Organization recommends biannual deworming with single-dose albendazole for all children over 1 year in regions where soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are endemic. There are limited data from the Dominican Republic (DR) on the effectiveness of deworming programs. . Between January and June 2019, we enrolled 63 preschool-aged children at a community clinic in the DR. Participants received albendazole at enrollment. Stool samples were collected and examined for parasites at enrollment, 2 to 4 and 12 to 16 weeks post-albendazole. Caregivers were surveyed on home hygiene practices and children's symptoms. . At enrollment, 1 or more parasites were noted in 89% of samples.  (68%) was the most common species, followed by  (35%) and  (8%). Two-to-four weeks post-albendazole, fewer than half of those with  infections at baseline had cleared the infection. STH symptoms significantly improved between enrollment and 2 to 4 weeks. By 12 to 16 weeks after treatment,  infections were as high as baseline. . Although limited by size and available technology, our study contributes data on STH in the DR. Single-dose deworming with albendazole did not reduce  infections in our sample. As STH are the most common neglected tropical diseases and negatively impact children's health globally, further studies on both effective deworming programs and interventions to prevent STH are needed.</p>  a2333-794X