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, but attitudes are changing with the realisation that they can seriously affect 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, although worms can cause severe clinical disease, they usually have insidious effects on growth and development that rarely cause attendance at health centres. Yet it is precisely these chronic effects, affecting more than two billion people with lifelong infections, that have forced the public health community to reassess the importance of these infections. And recognition of the simplicity, safety, low cost, and efficacy of treatment has now resulted in major global initiatives to achieve control.

Methods

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

Size of the problem

Parasitic worms may be the commonest cause of chronic infection in humans. In many low income countries it is more common to be infected than not. Indeed, a child growing up in an endemic community 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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