End the Neglect

Blogging on behalf of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases

Archive for the ‘hookworm’ category

Deworming as a public health intervention: can it have lasting effects?

June 9th, 2011

On May 16, 2011, the Center for Global Development hosted an event for Michael Kremer and Sarah Baird to present data on their long-term follow-up research study called “Worms at Work: Long-run Impacts of Child Deworming in Kenya.” Other authors on the paper include Joan Hamory Hicks and Edward Miguel). This paper concludes that deworming in Kenyan schools can show significant, long-term gain in employment and earnings and among dewormed children. » Read more: Deworming as a public health intervention: can it have lasting effects?

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Posted in Africa, de-worming, Global Development, Global Health, hookworm, NTDs, parasites, poverty, Public Health, Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH)

Tags: advocacy Africa Children deworming education Global Health news NTDs research

World Malaria Day – Achieving Progress and Impact

April 25th, 2011

By: Linda Diep

Today I had the pleasure of attending a videoconference presentation on the successes and contributions made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the fight to end malaria. The videoconference, held in the CDC’s Washington DC office, featured presentations from the following active players in malaria control:

Dr. Richard W. Steketee, MACEPA, PATH
Dr. Kim Lindblade, Malaria Branch, CDC
Dr. S. Patrick Kachur, Malaria Branch, CDC
Dr. John MacArthur, Malaria Branch, CDC

Opening remarks were made by Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, D irector of the CDC, who said although malaria numbers continue to decrease, these statistics are still high. Dr. Frieden stated that every 45 seconds a child dies of malaria. Malaria affects much of the developing world, and may in fact be over-diagnosed.

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Posted in hookworm, malaria, NTDs, Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH)

Tags: artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) CDC hookworm insecticide treated be World Malaria Day

Shoes Save Lives

April 7th, 2011

Reprinted with permission from Toms Shoes:

By: Kim Koporc, Director, Children Without Worms (CWW)

It seems silly but when you think about it, people spend a lot of time deciding what shoes to wear. But for the millions of children living in the developing world, having access to just one pair of shoes can be life changing. Today people across the United States are participating in TOMS Shoes’ One Day Without Shoes – to raise awareness about the number of kids that do not have shoes and the challenges they face.

Not having shoes can be the difference between being sick and well. Shoes are the buffer between one’s skin and the ground. The ground is often dirty and can contain fecal matter in communities that lack access to proper sanitation. Shoes keep children free of infections.

Soil transmitted helminthes (STH) are prevalent in some of the poorest communities in the world. Worms thrive in these areas where the climate is often warm and humid. Hookworm, one of the three types of STHs, spreads when larvae penetrate the skin – often through bare feet because their families lack the resources to buy shoes. » Read more: Shoes Save Lives

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Posted in hookworm, Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH)

Tags: Children Children Without Worms Global Health hookworm mebendazole NTDs soil transmitted helminths toms shoes

Spotlight: Fundación Mundo Sano

March 14th, 2011

FundaciónMundo Sano, established in 1993, is an Argentine non-profit organization that has been engaged in research and strategic development to circumvent the spread of neglected diseases. Fundación Mundo Sano develops scientific research and direct intervention programs—such as information, prevention, and entomologic control campaigns— within its five headquarters located in the most vulnerable locations of Argentina’s endemic regions.

A multidisciplinary group of professionals –biologists, physicians, anthropologists, and economists among others— have created, managed, and implemented more than 40 projects that work towards comprehending and eliminating tropical diseases like chagas, dengue, leishmaniasis, malaria, several types of intestinal parasite infections, and leptospirosis.