More than nine million pupils aged between 5–14 years were treated for intestinal worms and screened for leprosy from 18 to 22 March 2013 as part of a Ministry of Health initiated-campaign in Brazil.
The Campaign's Objectives
The objective was to reduce the parasitic burden of soil-transmitted helminthiases in schoolchildren and identify suspected cases of leprosy through a survey that involves the mapping of lesions, and referring any suspected case to a primary care service for diagnostic confirmation and treatment.
The activities were carried out by municipal health departments in partnership with nongovernmental and other organizations. Schoolchildren were given an appropriate dose of the deworming medicine albendazole by specially trained health professionals.
The Campaign's Aims
The campaign aimed at evaluating 70% of students through the survey of signs and symptoms suggestive of leprosy and treating at least an identical percentage of schoolchildren aged 5–14 years for intestinal worms.
