RESUMO
Objective To observe the effect of artemether in the control of prevalence and acute infection of Schistosoma japonicum in humans in high endemic areas. Methods During the transmission season (May-October), the residents in the pilot village took artemether with a 15- day interval to prevent the infection of S. japonicum. Results By the end of the transmission season, the egg positive rate was 0.83% and no acute case occurred in the artemether group, while 15.01% and 3 acute cases were observed in the placebo group. Conclusions Oral administration of artemether at a 15-day interval shows an effective protection from infection of S. japonicum, with a protection rate of 94.47% in residents of a high endemic area and it also shows marked effect to prevent acute schistosomiasis.
