Effect on school attendance and performance of iron and multiple micronutrients as adjunct to drug treatment of Schistosoma-infected anemic schoolchildren.

Background: Relationships among Schistosoma haematobium, anemia, and iron deficiency have been documented, and all have been found to be associated with a decline in school attendance and lower performance.

Objective: To assess the effect of single or combined iron and multiple micronutrients and/or praziquantel on school attendance and achievement in randomly selected 7- to 12-year-old anemic children with documented S. haematobium infection (n = 406) in Mali over a 3-month period.

Multiple micronutrients including iron are not more effective than iron alone for improving hemoglobin and iron status of Malian school children.

Iron deficiency and anemia remain among the most important global public health problems facing school children. Helminth infections often peak at school age and aggravate nutritional risks. We conducted a 12-wk randomized controlled trial in 406 Malian anemic schoolchildren infected with Schistosoma hematobium to examine the effects of 2 doses of praziquantel (P) (40 mg/kg body weight), P + 60 mg/d iron (Fe), and/or a multiple micronutrient supplement (MM) that included 18 mg/d Fe.

Determinants of anemia among pregnant women in Mali.

Background: Anemia in pregnancy remains a major problem in nearly all developing and many industrialized countries. In Mali, the subpopulation prevalence and etiology of anemia during pregnancy are largely unknown.

Objective: To examine the prevalence and likely etiologies of anemia in pregnancy in a poor urban population in Bamako, Mali.