Albendazole and mebendazole in the treatment of ancylostomiasis in school children between the ages of 6-15 in Swat, Pakistan.

ABSTRACT

A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to September, 2018 on the efficacies of albendazole and mebendazole against ancylostomiasis in school children of district Swat, Pakistan. Faecal samples were collected from primary school children and preserved in 10% formalin. The samples were then sent to the Laboratory of Parasitology, in the University of Malakand for microscopic analysis. On the basis of drug availability, the Ancylostoma dueodenale infected students were divided into two groups. Group A was treated with Albendazole 400-450mg while group B was orally treated with Mebendazole 350-400mg. Eggs per gram were calculated before and after the treatment. From the total sample of 296, 192 (64.8%) children were found infected with Ancylostoma duodenale. Of the total number of infected children, this study found 87.8% (n=137/156)of them with light intensity of infection, 10.8%(n=17/156) with moderate and 1.2% (n=2/156) with heavy intensity of infection. Albendazole showed a high rate 75% of efficacy than mebendazole 71% (p<0.05). The present study concluded that albendazole and mebendazole are drugs of choice for the treatment of Ancylostomiasis.