Information on the number of pregnant women who receive presumptive/prescribed anthelminthic treatment and the total number of pregnant women.

Data Source(s):

Program records (on number of pregnant women, number of pregnant women who receive treatment, either presumptive treatment or therapy for identified helminths, and number of pregnant women reported to be infected); population-based surveys represent an alternative source of data, but will yield different results in terms of coverage. If the source of data is a population based survey, the evaluator should calculate the indicator for the last pregnancy.

Purpose:

Helminths such as hookworm and schistosomes can cause blood and iron loss.  Where hookwork infection is endemic and anemia prevalence is high, the hookworm infection is likely to be a main cause of the anemia. In areas of low endemicity, treatment in the second trimester is recommended. In areas of moderate to high endemicity, treatment should occur in the second and third trimester. Treatment in the first trimester is not recommended.

Issue(s):

This indicator only measures whether women have received any anthelminthic therapy, without reference to adequate dosing. Because treatment of helminths depends on the availability of medication to clients in the program, this indicator may reflect inadequacies in the flow of drugs to service distribution points in the system and/or poor provider performance at the service delivery point.