Value of etrenol in the periodic treatment of bilharziasis in Iraq

Sequential treatment was given to 285 school children at a dose of 3.0 mg/kg body weight. Re-examination was carried out at three months post-treatment and those still positive were scheduled for re-treatment. The cumulative cure rate 15 months after the first treatment was 95%. The average number of injections per cure was two. Prevalence in school children was reduced from 14.6% to 3.9% in the presence of an active transmission rate of 12%, based on children originally negative but converted to positive during the year

Epidemiology of schistosomiasis in Iraq in 1977 and 1978 with special reference to schistosomiasis population studies

An account is given of schistosomiasis control programmes in 1977 and 1978. Special emphasis has been stressed on the level of endemicity in each administrative unit of all provinces. The evaluation supported by tables and graphs indicates an apparent decline in the prevalence of the dieases with apparent decline in percentage of snail infested water-bodies in 1978, due to the intensive selective snail survey with mollusciciding in the epidemiologically susppcted canals, based on winter season activities with its relevant data of case finding, i.e. priorities were given to areas of high endemicity. Percentage of exposed population was 47% in 1976 and fell to 43% in 1977 and then declined to 35.46% in 1978 due to increased efforts of control both in selective mass treatment with hycanthone and mollusciciding wish Bayluscide. Percentage of population of low endemicity to all exposed population was 90% in 1976 and improved to 96.9% in 1977 and improved further even to 99.2% in 1978. schistosomiasis of moderate endemicity to all population has decreased accordingly from 4% of all population in 1976 to 3.11% of all population in 1977 and even further to 0.8% of all population in 1978, showing a marked decline in the number of population with moderate endemicity in both 1977 and 1978. Population of high endemicity remained nil. Estimation of actual infected of schistosomiasis cases in the country in 1976 was 0.372 million which fell down according to recent urine surveys to only 0.3 million cases in 1978, the lowest figure ever achieved in Iraq