{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T18:09:42Z","timestamp":1781201382638,"version":"3.54.1"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0014026","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781136000000}}],"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,5]],"date-time":"2026-06-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780617600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004385","name":"Universiteit Gent","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004385","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003246","name":"Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["016.Veni.178.023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["016.Veni.178.023"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003246","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We recently developed a general egg count framework to support cost-efficient survey design choices to inform soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) control programs. Yet, the interpretation and the application was not always intuitive for program managers.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We first adapted the existing framework to make the interpretation of risks of incorrect decision making more intuitive and to allow for prior information. Then, we assessed the impact of the allowable risk of incorrect decision-making and prior information on the required sample size. Finally, we determined the most cost-efficient survey design to inform the decisions (i) to switch to an event-based deworming program, and (ii) to declare STH eliminated as a public health problem (EPHP).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Principal findings<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The required sample sizes increased when the allowable risk of incorrect decision reduced and when the mean prior approached the program prevalence threshold. For the decisions to switch to event-based deworming and to declare EPHP, we found that duplicate Kato-Katz thick smears on a single stool sample was the most cost-efficient survey design, particularly when accounting for the added benefits of the free internal quality control. The required sample size for these survey designs varied between program targets and STH species. When aiming to have one sample size that fits all STHs, we recommend sampling 6 schools and 56 children per school for decisions on switching to event-based control programs and 11 schools (74 children per school) for the decision to declare EPHP.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions\/significance<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We developed an intuitive sampling framework for setting-specific decision-making in STH control programs. We identified the most cost-efficient survey designs for critical program decisions, but these are based on subjective but reasonable choices regarding the risk of incorrect decision making. Reaching consensus within the STH community on acceptable levels of risk is crucial to further support evidence-based decision-making.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0014026","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,5]],"date-time":"2026-06-05T17:44:37Z","timestamp":1780681477000},"page":"e0014026","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["An intuitive sampling framework for setting-specific decision-making in soil-transmitted helminthiasis control programs"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6093-9648","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Adama","family":"Kazienga","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bruno","family":"Levecke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sake J.","family":"de Vlas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luc E.","family":"Coffeng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"pntd.0014026.ref001","unstructured":"Soil-transmitted helminthiases. [cited 6 Jun 2024]. Available from: https:\/\/www.who.int\/data\/gho\/data\/themes\/topics\/soil-transmitted-helminthiases"},{"key":"pntd.0014026.ref002","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Ending the neglect to attain the Sustainable Development Goals: A road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021\u20132030. In: World Health Organization [Internet]. 2021 [cited 10 Feb 2022]. Available from: https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789240010352"},{"key":"pntd.0014026.ref003","unstructured":"VizHub - GBD Results. [cited 5 Mar 2025]. Available from: https:\/\/vizhub.healthdata.org\/gbd-results\/"},{"key":"pntd.0014026.ref004","unstructured":"Soil-transmitted helminth infections. [cited 11 Oct 2024]. Available from: https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/soil-transmitted-helminth-infections"},{"key":"pntd.0014026.ref005","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Accelerating work to overcome the global impact of neglected tropical diseases: a roadmap for implementation: executive summary. In: World Health Organization [Internet]. 2012 [cited 6 Jun 2024]. Available: https:\/\/iris.who.int\/handle\/10665\/70809"},{"key":"pntd.0014026.ref006","unstructured":"Assessing schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiases control programmes: monitoring and evaluation framework. [cited 24 Mar 2025]. Available from: https:\/\/iris.who.int\/handle\/10665\/379352"},{"key":"pntd.0014026.ref007","volume-title":"2030 targets for soil-transmitted helminthiases control programmes","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2020"},{"key":"pntd.0014026.ref008","unstructured":"Soil-transmitted helminth infections. [cited 12 Aug 2022]. Available from: https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/soil-transmitted-helminth-infections"},{"key":"pntd.0014026.ref009","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Preventive chemotherapy in human helminthiasis: coordinated use of anthelminthic drugs in control interventions: a manual for health professionals and programme managers. 2006 [cited 26 Apr 2023]. Available from: https:\/\/apps.who.int\/iris\/handle\/10665\/43545"},{"key":"pntd.0014026.ref010","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Helminth control in school-age children: a guide for managers of control programmes. 2011 [cited 26 Apr 2023]. 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