The Hookworm Exposure and Treatment (HEAT) project will identify new approaches to sustainable hookworm control by strengthening the understanding of influences on albendazole effectiveness against hookworm and absorption following treatment and making innovative use of GPS technologies to assess the role of exposure in hookworm reinfection following treatment. In the context of a three year longitudinal community study of hookworm transmission and reinfection, we will measure albendazole absorption following treatment to identify key influences on absorption and the role of absorption in response to treatment. In addition, the longitudinal study will be used as a platform for multiple sub-studies to characterize the role of individual movement patterns, maternal infections and animal husbandry as pathways to reinfection. With the support of the TMRC Program, the HEAT project will build capacity in field epidemiology while seeking to identify promising new approaches to enhance the impact of WHO-recommended anthelmintic control programs. These advances in the science of hookworm exposure and treatment will be used to enhance community health interventions and enable development of strategic deworming programs that include modification of factors known to improve treatment response such as the timing of drug administration, nutritional status, monitoring response to treatment and use of alternate medications. Data generated in these studies will directly benefit hookworm surveillance and control programs.
Project 1 narrative The Hookworm Exposure and Treatment (HEAT) project aims to strengthen hookworm disease control efforts, and has the potential for directly affecting the health of communities with endemic hookworm around the world.
