Filariasis prevention programs are adequate for excluding pregnant women

"The current strategy for the interruption of transmission of lymphatic filariasis in areas where the disease is co-endemic with onchocerciasis is repeated annual mass treatment of endemic communities with ivermectin and albendazole. These drugs are not recommended for use in pregnancy. Pregnant women are excluded on the basis of their last menses," investigators in Ghana report.

"This exclusion criterion based on recall carries some inherent errors, leading sometimes to inadvertent exposure of fetuses to these drugs. This study set out to document the extent of inadvertent...

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