Kurscheid Johanna, Buhl Andrea, Westenberg Erica, Palmeirim Marta Sólveig, Winkler Andrea Sylvia, Steinmann Peter, Monnier Nora
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.
University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Int Health. 2025 Jul 1;17(4):527-534. doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihae092.
Schistosomiasis is a serious public health problem in many African countries and beyond. Preventive chemotherapy with praziquantel is a successful public health intervention that is recommended for all communities at risk, commonly reached through large-scale mass drug administration campaigns. However, preschool-age children are currently not routinely targeted for treatment due to operational challenges related to dosing and administration with the standard drug formulation. In response to the need for a suitable, child-friendly treatment, the multistakeholder Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium has developed a novel dispersible tablet with improved taste and smaller size. To prepare the introduction and inform future uptake of the novel paediatric formulation in endemic countries, we conducted a landscape analysis to explore perspectives, opinions and experiences of key stakeholders on operational and practical issues in relation to drug dosing and administration. Our findings confirm that child-friendly drug formulations mitigate several operational constraints related to the dosing and administration in young children. The introduction of this novel child health intervention into routine platforms and programs requires solid training and careful communication by engaging with communities, caregivers, healthcare workers and decision-makers to ensure acceptance and future uptake of treatment.
血吸虫病在许多非洲国家及其他地区都是一个严重的公共卫生问题。使用吡喹酮进行预防性化疗是一项成功的公共卫生干预措施，建议对所有有风险的社区实施，通常通过大规模群体药物管理运动来实现。然而，由于与标准药物剂型的给药和用药相关的操作挑战，学龄前儿童目前并非常规治疗对象。为满足对合适的、儿童友好型治疗方法的需求，多方利益相关者组成的儿童用吡喹酮联盟研发出了一种口味更佳、尺寸更小的新型分散片。为准备在流行国家引入并告知未来对这种新型儿科制剂的采用情况，我们进行了一项全面分析，以探讨关键利益相关者对与药物给药和用药相关的操作及实际问题的观点、意见和经验。我们的研究结果证实，儿童友好型药物剂型减轻了与幼儿给药和用药相关的若干操作限制。将这种新型儿童健康干预措施引入常规平台和项目需要通过与社区、护理人员、医护人员和决策者合作进行扎实的培训和细致的沟通，以确保治疗方法被接受并在未来得到采用。
