Efficacy and side effects of praziquantel treatment in a highly endemic Schistosoma mansoni focus at Lake Albert, Uganda

The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy and side effects following single and repeated (6 weeks apart) praziquantel treatment (40 mg/kg) in a Schistosoma mansoni-endemic focus with long-standing transmission at Lake Albert in Uganda between December 1996 and January 1997. The results were based on 482 individuals, randomly representing all age and both gender groups. The cure rate following the first and second treatments was 41.9% and 69.1%, respectively. The cure rate was higher in adults than in children, irrespective of intensity of infection. In addition, the cure rate declined markedly with increasing intensity of infection. The reduction in intensity of infection was marked, being 97.7% and 99.6% after the first and second treatments, respectively. A pre- and post-treatment symptom questionnaire revealed a broad range of side effects, including abdominal pain and diarrhoea. However, no serious or long-lasting complications affecting compliance were observed. The marked reductions in faecal egg excretion and the acceptable level of side effects point to a single praziquantel treatment (40 mg/kg) as the strategy of choice in such a highly endemic S. mansoni focus.