Determining the Efficacy of Albendazole Against STH Infection Among Orang Asli

Abstract

Introduction: According to WHO, soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections could infect up to 90% of children from deprived communities with unhygiene and improper sanitation lifestyle. In West Malaysia, commonly the aboriginal people (Orang Asli) is prone to be infected with STH infections. Albendazole (400mg) is an anthelminthic drug that has been used for more than 30 years to cure STH infections. Hence, the main objective of this project was to evaluate the efficacy of single-dose albendazole (400mg) against STH infections among Orang Asli. Methods: Stool samples were collected in Hulu Langat, Semenyih, Malaysia. Who had not previously undergone deworming treatment. The parasites were concentrated by floatation technique (using the standard salt-sugar solution) to extract the amount of helminths’ egg before and after the albendazole treatment (400mg). Results: There were 44 participants after one-month post-treatment. The cure rate (CR) for Trichuris trichiura and Ascaris lumbricoides was 11.6% (n=5) and 35.0% (n=14), respectively. Moreover, there was no heavy infection for both STHs during the post-treatment of albendazole. Conclusion: The results indicated that the chosen anthelminthic showed higher cure rate efficacy in A.lumbricoides than T.trichiura. However, both species had decreased egg burden post-treatment with albendazole.