Insight 2: Importance of eliminating worm infestation

Children are particularly at risk from worm infection. Such infections can be prevented by practices such as: safe disposal of excreta, washing hands after defecation, wearing shoes or sandals and food hygiene (such as only eating food from vendors who have good hygiene practices).

School performance and school attendance have been correlated to worm infections as reflected in some studies. Differences in test performance, equivalent to a six-month delay in development, can typically be attributed to heavy schistosomiasis infections (Partnership for Child Development, 2002). Absenteeism is also more frequent among children infected with helminths than in uninfected children, with the more heavily infected children spending more time absent from school (Nokes and Bundy, 1993). Another study indicated that after de-worming, many pupils showed considerable improvement in growth and educational development (Curtis, 1998).

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