The impact of insecticide-treated school uniforms on dengue infections in school-aged children: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Thailand

Wilder-Smith, A.; Byass, P.; Olanratmanee, P.; Maskhao, P.; Sringernyuang, L.; Logan, J.G.; Lindsay, S.W.; Banks, S.; Gubler, D.; Louis, V.R.; Tozan, Y.; Kittayapong, P.

Abstract

Background: There is an urgent need to protect children against dengue since this age group is particularly sensitive to the disease. Since dengue vectors are active mainly during the day, a potential target for control should be schools where children spend a considerable amount of their day. School uniforms are the cultural norm in most developing countries, worn throughout the day. We hypothesise that insecticide-treated school uniforms will reduce the incidence of dengue infection in school-aged children. Our objective is to determine the impact of impregnated school uniforms on dengue incidence. Methods: A randomised controlled trial will be conducted in eastern Thailand in a group of schools with approximately 2,000 students aged 7–18 years. Pre-fabricated school uniforms will be commercially treated to ensure consistent, high-quality insecticide impregnation with permethrin. A double-blind, randomised, crossover trial at the school level will cover two dengue transmission seasons. Discussion: Practical issues and plans concerning intervention implementation, evaluation, analysing and interpreting the data, and possible policy implications arising from the trial are discussed. Trial registration: clinicaltrial.gov. Registration number: NCT01563640.

Citation

Wilder-Smith, A., Byass, P., Olanratmanee, P., Maskhao, P., Sringernyuang, L., Logan, J., …Kittayapong, P. (2012). The impact of insecticide-treated school uniforms on dengue infections in school-aged children: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Thailand. Trials, 13(11), Article 212. https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6215-13-212

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Nov 15, 2012
• Deposit Date: Apr 10, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: May 22, 2014
• Journal: Trials
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 11
• Article Number: 212
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6215-13-212
• Keywords: Dengue, Insecticide-treated clothes, School children, School uniforms, Randomised control trial, Cost effectiveness.