The effects of Schistosomiasis haematobium on the activity of school children.

Schistosomiasis haematobium is prevalent in many parts of Africa, especially among school-age children. It is thought to cause lethargy, but the effect may be masked by the selective exposure of more active children to the disease. Infected children at a primary school in an endemic area in South Africa were used as their own controls in a before-and-after treatment study. Energetic activity was monitored by means of electronic meters before treatment, and at 3 and 6 months after treatment with an antischistosomal drug. Results indicated that the scores of treated children had increased significantly relative to the untreated controls, and that there were differences between the sexes in the change of activity level.