Mass deworming

Mass deworming (also called preventive chemotherapy) is the process of treating large numbers of people, particularly children, for helminthiasis (for example soil-transmitted helminths (STH)) and schistosomiasis infections in areas with a high prevalence of these conditions. It involves treating everyone – often all children who attend schools, using existing infrastructure to save money – rather than testing first and then only treating selectively. Serious side effects have not been reported when administering the medication to those without worms, and testing for the infection is many times more expensive than treating it. So for the same amount of money, mass deworming can treat more people more cost-effectively than selective deworming. Mass deworming is one example of mass drug administration.

Mass deworming of children can be carried out by administering mebendazole and albendazole which are two types of anthelmintic drug. The cost of providing one tablet every six to twelve months per child (typical doses) is relatively low.

Over 870 million children are at risk of parasitic worm infection. Worm infections interfere with nutrient uptake; can lead to anemia, malnourishment and impaired mental and physical development; and pose a serious threat to children’s health, education, and productivity. Infected children are often too sick or tired to concentrate at school, or to attend at all. In 2001, the World Health Assembly set a target for the World Health Organization (WHO) to treat 75% of school-aged children by 2010. There has been disagreement on the evidence regarding the extent of the long-term benefits for children who have been part of mass deworming programmes. Proponents of mass deworming argue that the methodology of studies that discount the value of mass deworming is biased, sample sizes have been small, and studies did not evaluate more subtle long-term impacts. As a result, they argue that such studies should not be used alone in deciding mass deworming policy.

Some non-governmental organizations specifically support mass deworming. The Deworm the World Initiative, a project of the non-governmental organization Evidence Action, is one of the highest-rated charities by the evaluator Givewell because of the low cost of deworming children, large-scale implementation, and wider benefits to society.

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