Résumé
Mebendazole in doses of 200 mg. per day for 4 days was used in the mass treatment of ascaris lumbricoides, trichuris trichiura and hookworm among 585 inhabitants of Barrio Tallaoen, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur; children below 6 years of age were given half the dose. This treatment was repeated every 2 months for 10 months. The treatment effected a dramatic change in the nematological profile of the barrio inhabitants; the pretreatment prevalences of 78%, 88% and 31% of A. lumbricoides, T. trichiura and hookworm, respectively, decreased significantly after the 3rd treatment to 5%, 8% and 3% and after the 6th treatment to 3%, 9% and 2%, respectively. Mebendazole was found to be well tolerated by all age groups; side-reactions were not observed except for erratic ascaris reported by 16 patients (although this was not encountered in 58 children with history of spontaneous passage of A. lumbricoides and administered levamisole one day previous to mebendozole). Overall improvement in the general health of the barrio inhabitants, especially children, was experienced, despite no improvement in sanitation of the area.(Summary)