Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD), World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2011 Dec;105(12):683-93. doi: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2011.08.013. Epub 2011 Oct 29.
Preventive chemotherapy (PC), the large-scale distribution of anthelminthic drugs to population groups at risk, is the core intervention recommended by the WHO for reducing morbidity and transmission of the four main helminth infections, namely lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis. The strategy is widely implemented worldwide but its general theoretical foundations have not been described so far in a comprehensive and cohesive manner. Starting from the information available on the biological and epidemiological characteristics of helminth infections, as well as from the experience generated by disease control and elimination interventions across the world, we extrapolate the fundamentals and synthesise the principles that regulate PC and justify its implementation as a sound and essential public health intervention. The outline of the theoretical aspects of PC contributes to a thorough understanding of the different facets of this strategy and helps comprehend opportunities and limits of control and elimination interventions directed against helminth infections.
预防性化疗（PC）是向高危人群大规模分发驱虫药物的核心干预措施，这是世界卫生组织（WHO）推荐的减少四大主要寄生虫感染（即淋巴丝虫病、盘尾丝虫病、血吸虫病和土源性线虫病）发病率和传播的核心干预措施。该策略在全球范围内得到广泛实施，但迄今为止，其一般理论基础尚未以全面和连贯的方式进行描述。本文从寄生虫感染的生物学和流行病学特征的现有信息出发，以及从全球疾病控制和消除干预措施所产生的经验出发，推断出调控 PC 的基本原则，并证明其作为一项合理且重要的公共卫生干预措施的实施是合理的。PC 的理论方面概述有助于深入了解该策略的不同方面，并有助于理解针对寄生虫感染的控制和消除干预措施的机会和限制。
