Toward the 2020 goal of soil-transmitted helminthiasis control and elimination

Abstract

On May 22, 2001, a resolution passed during the 54th World Health Assembly (WHA 54.19) took an historic step toward reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with the world’s most common parasitic worm (helminth) infections . Indeed, an estimated 1.45 billion individuals are infected with soil-transmitted helminths worldwide. The soil-transmitted helminths primarily comprise hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus), roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), and whipworm (Trichuris trichiura). Taken together, soil-transmitted helminthiasis accounts for a global burden of over 3.3 million disability-adjusted life years and is associated with anemia, malnutrition, and impaired physical and cognitive development. As the primary recommendation to eliminate soil-transmitted helminthiasis as a public health problem, WHA 54.19 called for improved water and sanitation to reduce transmission and urged that 3 high-risk groups receive regular treatment with anthelmintic drugs: preschool-aged children (PSAC), school-aged children (SAC), and women of reproductive age (WRA).