Helminthic infections

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7412.431

BMJ 2003;327:431-433 (23 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7412.431

Clinical review

Helminthic infections

Shally Awasthi, professor¹, D A P Bundy, professor², Lorenzo Savioli, director³

¹ Department of Paediatrics, Upgraded King George Medical College, CSMMU, Lucknow, India, ² Human Development Network, World Bank, Washington DC, USA, ³ World Health Organization, Division of Intestinal Parasites and Vector Control, PVC Geneva, Switzerland

Correspondence to: Shally Awasthi, C-29 Sector C, Chetan Vihar, Aliganj, Lucknow (UP) 226024, India sawasthi@sancharnet.in, shallya@rediffmail.com

Parasitic worms have largely been overlooked by medicine, butattitudes are changing with the realisation that they can seriouslyaffect child development and that treatment is easy and cheap

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Introduction

Parasitic worms do not usually interest doctors because, althoughworms can cause severe clinical disease, they usually haveinsidious effects on growth and development that rarely causeattendance at health centres. Yet it is precisely these chroniceffects, affecting more than two billion people with lifelonginfections, that have forced the public health community toreassess the importance of these infections. And recognitionof the simplicity, safety, low cost, and efficacy of treatmenthas now resulted in major global initiatives to achieve control.

Methods

Information for this review came from Medline and hand searchesof published literature, correspondence with experts in thesubject, and the personal experiences of the authors.

Size of the problem

Parasitic worms may be the commonest cause of chronic infectionin humans. In many low income countries it is more common tobe infected than not. Indeed, a child growing up in an endemiccommunity can expect be infected soon after . . . [Full text of this article]

All worm infections are not equal

Effects of worm infections on child growth and development

Treatment

Support for treatment programmes

The dangers of drug resistance

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