Five elementary ("prototypic") schools located in five districts in central Java were selected and the children examined for helminth
infections (Ascaris, Trichuris, hookworm). They were de-wormed with a course of
mebendazole and provided with 6-7 months of "behavioral remediation instruction" (BRI). In other ("control") schools, children were treated with
mebendazole but were not provided BRI. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of BRI in minimizing
infection/
re-infection following deworming. After the 6-7 month course of BRI in the prototypic schools, all the children (in both the prototypic and control schools) were re-examined for geohelminth
infection. The schools in two of the five districts were omitted from further analysis because the overall prevalence of
infection was low (<10%) and the
infections were dominated by hookworm which are only moderately susceptible to
mebendazole. Comparisons of prototypic and control schools in the other three districts provided compelling evidence that BRI was quite effective in reducing both the frequency and intensity of
infection with Ascaris and Trichuris. We suggest that instructing children and adults corrects personal habits which are conducive to
infection and can be an effective and safe substitute for repeated deworming, reducing the opportunity for the emergence of
drug-resistant helminthes, which should prolong the time
benzimidazoles may be used for treatment of geohelminth
infection.