Self-assessed approach to improving school health in Niger.

INTRODUCTION: Award schemes and self-evaluation systems have been developed to implement the 'Health-Promoting School (HPS)' concept in European and Asian countries. While there have been many successes in these regions, the implementation of HPS in African countries has been minimal. This study evaluated the impact of a self-evaluation system on school health in Niger. METHODS: A school health activity guide was developed and distributed to 1999 primary schools in the Niger Tahoua region to raise awareness and solve problems related to school health and hygiene. The number of schools that planned or implemented health-related activities, and the budget and implementation status of their activities was compared over 3 years (before, soon after, and 1 year after distribution). Focus group discussions (FGDs) were also conducted targeting Conseillers Pédagogiques (CPs), who supervise primary schools and teachers, primary school principals and members of Comité de Gestion des Etablissement Scolaire (COGES), which is a type of school steering committee. RESULTS: The number of schools planning at least one health-related activity increased from 47% to 79% soon after distribution of the guide (p <0.001).The number of schools implementing activities increased from 44% to 65% one year after distribution (p <0.001). Health-related budget per school also increased after distribution (p <0.0001) and increases were maintained 1 year after the intervention (p=0.8414). Fulfilment or partial fulfilment rates for health-related activities were lower compared with other (non-health) activities in all three years (80%, 77% & 84% in health-related activities vs 88%, 90% & 91% in others; p <0.001, p <0.001, & p=0.004, respectively). Most FGD participants expressed a positive impression of the program and noted the usefulness of the guide. However, some respondents reported difficulties, especially in relation to budget. CONCLUSION: The introduction of a health activity guide for self-assessment was effective in increasing health-related activities in primary schools in Niger, where a simple monitoring system should be introduced to establish the HPS concept.

Drug efficacy of praziquantel and albendazole in school children in Mwea Division, Central Province, Kenya.

The objective of this research was to assess drug efficacy in school children after mass chemotherapy with praziquantel and albendazole conducted in Mwea Division, Kirinyaga District, Central Kenya in 2004. In total 2300 children aged between 4 and 18 years in five primary schools were selected for the study. Before mass chemotherapy, prevalence of infection was 47.4% for Schistosoma mansoni, 16.7% for Necator americanus, 1.6% for Ascaris lumbricoides, and 0.8% for Trichuris trichiura. Post-treatment stool examination was carried out 8 weeks later, and a total of 1942 stool samples were collected. Prevalence decreased to 8.6% for S. mansoni, 0.2% for N. americunus, 0 for A. lumbricoides, and 0.6% for T. trichiura. Efficacy was good for S. mansoni and N. americanus (92.6% and 95.0%, respectively). Results of the first round of treatment of school-age children in Mwea indicate a good reduction in parasite burden.

Control of ciliary activities of Schistosoma mansoni miracidia using Triton-extracted parasites.

Extraction with 0.04% (w/v) Triton X-100 for 3 min removed the cell membrane from the locomotory cilia of Schistosoma mansoni miracidia while leaving the motile apparatus apparently intact. Immediately after Triton-extracted miracidia were treated by the reactivating solution containing ATP and magnesium ions (Mg2+) at pH 8.1, nearly 100% of Triton-extracted miracidia showed the ciliary beating and swam forward in a manner resembling that of a normal miracidium. In the standard reactivating solution (2 mM ATP, 2 mM Mg2+, pH 8.1), Triton-extracted miracidia swam at a speed of 580 microns/sec; the comparable value for live miracidia in dechlorinated tap water was 2,200 microns/sec. The swimming velocity of Triton-extracted miracidia was dependent on ATP and Mg2+ concentration, pH, and salinity. In a solution containing 0.9% NaCl, Triton-extracted miracidia were not reactivated. Among the nucleotides tested, only ATP was found to induce a significant amount of ciliary motility. In terms of divalent cation specificity, only Mg2+ was capable of producing normal motility. Barium and calcium ions (at 0.5 mM CaCl2) also were capable of activating ciliary motility but were less effective stimulants than Mg2+. However, in 1 mM CaCl2, no ciliary reactivation was observed and cilia became detached from the body surface of the miracidia. Vanadium inhibited ATP-reactivated ciliary beating of Triton-extracted miracidia.