Transmission of Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis in the Mifi Health District (West Region, Cameroon): Low Endemicity but Still Prevailing Risk

The control of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) in Cameroon is focused on large-scale deworming through annual mass drug administration (MDA) albendazole or mebendazole to at-risk groups, principally pre-school and school-age children. After a decade intervention, prevalence intensity infection have been significantly lowered, encouraging the paradigm shift from elimination. However, STH eggs are extremely resistant environmental stressors may survive for years soils. It therefore appeared important assess whether risk transmission was still prevailing, especially context where helminths human population had almost interrupted. A retrospective prospective cross-sectional surveys were conducted five Health Areas Mifi District (West Region, Cameroon) to: (i) trends infestation rates over three-years (2018–2020) using health facility registers, (ii) investigate, 2020, contamination environment by dissemination stages sucrose centrifugal flotation method. overall helminth rate 4.9% (95% CI: 4.3–5.6), lower than soil (12.0%; 95% 8.2–17.2). These results supportive low endemicity level STHs District, but pollution parasites outlines that persistent. appears compulsory account when considering policy/recommendations interruption stopping MDA, as it case with vector-borne diseases.