Deworming to combat the health and nutritional impact of soil-transmitted helminths

Soil-transmitted helminths are among the most common infections in developing countries. They impair the nutritional status of the people they infect in multiple ways, including:

• feeding on host tissues, including blood, which leads to a loss of iron and protein
• increasing malabsorption of nutrients.

Some soil-transmitted helminths also cause loss of appetite and therefore a reduction of nutrition intake and physical fitness.

The nutritional impairment caused by soil-transmitted helminths is recognized to have a significant impact on growth and physical development. To reduce the worm burden, WHO recommends periodic drug treatment (deworming) of all children living in endemic areas. WHO also recommends health and hygiene education, and the provision of adequate sanitation.