Study by Australian National University found community-based deworming more effective than school programmes that only target kids
The number of children suffering from intestinal worms could reduce dramatically if deworming programmes targetted adults too.
This is the finding of a new pilot study in Timor-Leste led by The Australian National University (ANU). Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), including roundworm, hookworm and whipworm, infect about 1.5 billion people around the world, mainly children in poor countries, including those in Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Africa. India started a national deworming programme some time back that targets 140 million children.
Researcher Dr Naomi Clarke from ANU said the new findings provided the first evidence from a field trial to support the hypothesis targetting adults in a community programme is more effective in reducing STH infections in children than a school-based program.
With approximately 241 million children at risk of parasitic infections, India has the highest burden in the world. Worms hinder nutrient uptake in children and can lead to anemia and impaired mental and physical development
“The odds of intestinal worm infection more than halved among children in communities that were given a community-wide intervention, compared to the school-based intervention only,” said Dr Clarke from the ANU Research School of Population Health.
With approximately 241 million children at risk of parasitic infections, India has the highest burden in the world. Worms hinder nutrient uptake in children and can lead to anemia and impaired mental and physical development.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Susana Vaz Nery said current guidelines on STH control prescribed the distribution of deworming drugs to children through school-based deworming programs.
“Children from the poorest communities suffer from consequences of infestations, such as poor growth and development, and chronic intestinal blood loss and anaemia in some cases,” said Dr Vaz Nery, who conducted the study at the ANU Research School of Population Health.
Dr Clarke, Dr Vaz Nery and colleagues enrolled six communities in Timor-Leste in a pilot study. Three communities received only a school-based deworming and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) program, while three received an additional community-based deworming and WASH program.
Worm infections were measured in school-aged children at baseline and six months after deworming.
The results of the study have been published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
