Guideline for Preventive Chemotherapy for the Control of Taenia solium Taeniasis

The larval stage of the parasite Taenia solium can encyst in the central nervous system causing neurocysticercosis, which is the main cause of acquired epilepsy in the countries in which the parasite is endemic. Endemic areas are those with the presence (or likely presence) of the full life cycle of Taenia solium. The parasite is most prevalent in poor and vulnerable communities in which pigs roam free, open defecation is practiced, basic sanitation is deficient, and health education is absent or limited.

Several tools are available for the control of Taenia solium. Preventive chemotherapy for Taenia solium taeniasis, which is directed at the adult tapeworm, is one of them. Other tools focus on pig management, pig vaccination and treatment, sanitation and hygiene, and community education.

Three potential drugs—niclosamide, praziquantel, and albendazole—have been considered for use for preventive chemotherapy in Taenia solium taeniasis control programs through mass drug administration or targeted chemotherapy. In this Guideline, we provide recommendations for preventive chemotherapy in Taenia solium-endemic areas using niclosamide, praziquantel, or albendazole, including at which dose and in which population groups. The development of this Guideline is based on the latest standard World Health Organization methods for guideline development, including the use of systematic search strategies, synthesis, quality assessment of the available evidence to support the recommendations, and participation of experts and stakeholders in the Guideline Development Group and External Review Group. The recommendations are intended for a wide audience, including policymakers and their expert advisers, and technical and program staff at governmental institutions and organizations involved in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of preventive chemotherapy programs for the control of Taenia solium.