Call for mass de-worming exercise

A large-scale de-worming treatment programme is needed to rid some 1.5 billion people of these harmful and unpleasant parasites, say researchers. The Stanford University team says the World Health Organization needs to step up its response – but the WHO says this could breed drug-resistant infections. Currently, eradication is focused largely on school-aged children living […]

A large-scale de-worming treatment programme is needed to rid some 1.5 billion people of these harmful and unpleasant parasites, say researchers.
The Stanford University team says the World Health Organization needs to step up its response – but the WHO says this could breed drug-resistant infections.
Currently, eradication is focused largely on school-aged children living in high-prevalence areas.
The Stanford team’s research recommends mass treatment of whole communities.
Worms affect a quarter of the world’s population.
They are transmitted by eggs passed in the faeces of infected people that contaminate food or water supplies.