Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of Deworming Activities: A Contribution to the Control of Soil-Transmitted
Abstract
[Introduction] Of the diseases that affect human beings,
the group made up of neglected infectious
diseases (NID) is prominent on the unfinished
health agenda because of their causes and
consequences. These diseases, which have been
with humankind since its origins, thrive among poor
and disadvantaged populations living in areas of
widespread poverty with scarce resources and little
opportunity to improve their quality of life. NIDs
have serious repercussions for individuals, families,
and communities in developing countries, which are
reflected in the disease burden, lost productivity,
deepening poverty, and the high costs of long-term
medical care.
There is tremendous potential to reduce the incidence
of these diseases to the point where they no longer
pose a public health problem, which is all the more
reason to deploy additional efforts to eliminate
them. With new technologies and strategies and
improved health services infrastructure, particularly
primary health care, these diseases can be controlled
and potentially eliminated. Against this backdrop,
the Member States of the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO) adopted Resolution CD49.R19
at the 2009 meeting of the Directing Council. The
resolution establishes targets for the control and
elimination of NIDs in the Region by 2015 and the
strategies that should be applied to this end.
Soil-transmitted helminth infections are one of
the most important NID. An estimated 49 million
children under the age of 15 in 30 Latin American
and Caribbean countries are at risk of contracting this
disease, which not only has the potential to affect their
growth and development, but can have irreversible
consequences that carry into adulthood. Safe, low-cost
drugs are available for the control of soil-transmitted
helminth infections. Preventive measures can reach
most families through joint, intersectoral activities to
deliver the required drugs and improve access to safe
drinking water, basic sanitation, and education. These
activities also need to focus on reducing the negative
impact of health determinants that enable soiltransmitted
helminths to continue to pose a public
health problem.
Translated title
Pautas operativas para la puesta en marcha de actividades integradas de desparasitación: contribución al control de las geohelmintiasis en América Latina y el Caribe
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