Deworming

Scientific studies on the relationship between deworming and combating malnutrition in developing countries:
A review article (a collection of scientific studies on a specific topic) of randomized, placebo-controlled double blind clinical trials (RCTs) will answer the following question:
"Do taking dietary supplements make sense?" Yes for a positive conclusion and no for a negative conclusion.

A review article (a collection of scientific studies on a specific topic) of cohort studies or case-control studies will answer the following question:
"Should I change my diet?".

1. Maternal hookworm infection increases maternal anemia and coinfection with malaria
2. Poor dietary diversity, stunting, food insecurity and not dewormed are predictors of under-five anemia
3. Mass deworming has no effect on anaemia and iron-deficiency
4. Soil transmitted helminth infections have adverse influence on cognitive function and educational loss in school-aged children
5. School based deworming program decreases prevalence of anemia

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• Deworming (sometimes known as worming, drenching or "dehelmintization") is the giving of an anthelmintic drug (a wormer, dewormer or drench) to a human to rid them of helminths parasites, such as roundworm, flukes and tapeworm.
• Soil-transmitted helminth infections are among the most common infections in humans, caused by a group of parasites commonly referred to as worms, including roundworms, whipworms and hookworms.
• Common signs and symptoms of worm infestation are:
  • Abdominal pain
  • Disturbed sleep
  • Fever
  • Irritability and/or general weakness
  • Itchy bottom
  • Loss of appetite
  • Wheezing or cough
  • Worms in stool
• The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends periodic deworming of all children living in endemic areas once a year when the prevalence of soil-transmitted parasitic worms in the community is over 20 percent and twice a year when it is over 50 percent.
• The WHO recommends mass drug administration as the clinical standard of care in areas where more than 20% of children are infected.
• Deworming through schools provides the greatest opportunity to reach a high proportion of the at-risk population while minimizing costs through the use of existing infrastructure.
• Children with parasitic worms suffer from nutritional impairment, impacting their growth and physical development.
• Deworming of school children has important impacts on school participation, cognition and nutrition and future earnings.
• Treatment for human pinworm infection:
  • Treatment is typically done with 2 doses of the medications mebendazole, pyrantel pamoate or albendazole 2 weeks apart. People who live with or takes care of an infected person should be treated at the same time. Washing personal items in hot water after each dose of medication is recommended. Good handwashing, daily bathing in the morning and daily changing of underwear can help prevent reinfection.
• Treatment for roundworms in humans:
  • Prescription oral medications such as Medendazole (Vermox), Ivermectin (Stromectol) or Albendazole (Albenza).
• Treatment for hookworms in humans:
  • Albendazole (Albenza) or Mebendazole (Emverm) may be prescribed to for 1 to 3 days to kill the parasites.
• Treatment for human whipworms:
  • The most common treatment for a whipworm infection is an anti-parasitic medication. Conventional drug options are mebendazole, 200 mg for adults and 100 mg for children for 3 days. Albendazole is an alternative medication for treatment of whipworms.
• Treatment for ascaris worm in humans:
  • Anthelminthic medications (drugs that rid the body of parasitic worms), such as albendazole and mebendazole, are the drugs of choice for treatment. Infections are generally treated for 1-3 days.
• Treatment for fluke worm in humans:
  • Liver fluke infections are treated with praziquantel, a drug used to eliminate flukes from the body. Other treatment options for fluke are triclabendazole or bithionol. Sometimes surgery may be necessary to remove growths on the skin or in rare cases cysts in the brain.
• Treatment for tapeworms in humans:
  • Tapeworms are generally treated with medications taken orally, usually in a single dose. The common drug used to treat tapeworm infections is called praziquantel. The drug Niclosamide can also be used.