Children Without Worms

Last updated

Children Without Worms (CWW) is a program of the Task Force for Global Health and envisions a world in which all at-risk people, specifically targeting children, are healthy and free of worm infections (helminthiases) so they can develop to their full potential. [1] [2] To accomplish the vision of a worm-free world, CWW works closely with the World Health Organization, national Ministries of Health, nongovernmental organizations and private-public coalitions such as Uniting to Combat NTDs. [3] [4] It acts as an intermediary for the pharmaceutical company Johnson and Johnson in distributing the latter's mebendazole for mass deworming of children to reduce or end soil-transmitted helminthiasis. [5]

Contents

Rubina Imtiaz is the Director of CWW. [6] [7]

Background

Soil-transmitted helminthiasis is a neglected tropical disease as a result of infection of intestinal parasites such as roundworm ( Ascaris lumbricoides ), whipworm ( Trichuris trichiura ), hookworms ( Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus ), and pinworm/threadworm ( Strongyloides stercoralis ). Most prevalent in the tropical and subtropical regions of Subsaharan Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and China, the disease is an enormous burden on humanity, amounting to 135,000 deaths every year, and persistent infection of more than two billion people. [8] [9] The long-term impact is even worse. In these regions, the disease is the single most debilitating cause of intellectual and physical disability. Thus it remains a relentless factor in poor socio-economic growth and human development. [10] [11] [12]

In 2012, the World Health Organization convened a meeting at London. It was headed by Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, and Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Joined by representatives from the World Bank, major pharmaceutical companies, and governments of US, UK, United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Brazil, Mozambique and Tanzania, the meeting approved the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases. The declaration was meant to be a global collaborative disease eradication programme targeting the control and elimination of tropical diseases. [5] [13]

History

Children Without Worms was established in 2005-2006 as a partnership between Johnson & Johnson [14] and the Task Force for Global Health. [15] The involvement of Johnson and Johnson was in large part for the implementation of the London Declaration. As part of the project, Johnson and Johnson was to donate its mebendazole for the treatment of soil-transmitted helminthiasis. [13] [5]

Johnson and Johnson committed to free distribution of 200 million doses of mebendazole tablets every year until 2020. [16] Initially called the Mebendazole Donation Initiative, CWW was the first program focused exclusively on reducing the burden of soil-transmitted helminth infections in school-age children in Africa, Asia, and Central America. [15] In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Johnson and Johnson's VERMOXTM CHEWABLE, a mebendazole tablets suitable for children as young as one year of age, and with it the distribution has been extended to babies. [16] [17]

Objectives

CWW's mission is to enhance the health and development of children by reducing intestinal worm infections.

CWW's work focuses on three pillars: [18]

Works and achievements

From 2006, CWW agreed to manage the deworming medicine donations from Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline for soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH). [19] From 2007 to 201, CWW's strategy focussed on drug donation to country engagement, partnerships and advocacy. [20] In the first mass deworming programme involving CWW, one million Ethiopean children were given mebendazole in 2007, and since 2013 annual mass deworming reached six million. [21] 14 endemic countries were covered during the first phase up to 2012. [22]

Since 2016, CWW has provided technical support to the Ministry of Health in Bangladesh to strengthen their deworming program and continues to engage with countries like Kenya to strengthen their deworming efforts. [23] [24]

CWW serves as the secretariat for the Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis Advisory Committee and the STH Coalition. [25] STHAC is group of researchers in tropical medicine and diseases, and is a body that monitors annual activities and achievements in global deworming programmes. [26] It includes scientists experts in Neglected Tropical Diseases, parasitology, epidemiology, child health, and education who convene once a year over two days to provide technical and scientific advice on STH control to national programs, researchers, funders and pharmaceutical donors to improve STH control efforts globally. [27] [28]

The STH Coalition was established in 2014 to bring together a cross-sectoral group of partners to accelerate efforts to control STH worldwide. With over 60 members, the STH Coalition members work together on advocacy, resource mobilization, monitoring and evaluation, policy analysis and research to scale-up deworming efforts in endemic communities around the world. [29] [30]

CWW's funding mainly comes from Johnson & Johnson [31] and GlaxoSmithKline. [32] It continued to participate in epidemiological research on helminthiasis and anthelmintic treatment programme. [22] [33] [24] [26]

Related Research Articles

<i>Trichuris trichiura</i> Parasitic roundworm that causes intestinal infection

Trichuris trichiura, Trichocephalus trichiuris or whipworm, is a parasitic roundworm that causes trichuriasis when it infects a human large intestine. It is commonly known as the whipworm which refers to the shape of the worm; it looks like a whip with wider "handles" at the posterior end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trichuriasis</span> Infection by Trichuris trichiura (whipworm)

Trichuriasis, also known as whipworm infection, is an infection by the parasitic worm Trichuris trichiura (whipworm). If infection is only with a few worms, there are often no symptoms. In those who are infected with many worms, there may be abdominal pain, fatigue and diarrhea. The diarrhea sometimes contains blood. Infections in children may cause poor intellectual and physical development. Low red blood cell levels may occur due to loss of blood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intestinal parasite infection</span> Condition in which a parasite infects the gastro-intestinal tract of humans and other animals

An intestinal parasite infection is a condition in which a parasite infects the gastro-intestinal tract of humans and other animals. Such parasites can live anywhere in the body, but most prefer the intestinal wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ascariasis</span> Disease caused by the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides

Ascariasis is a disease caused by the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides. Infections have no symptoms in more than 85% of cases, especially if the number of worms is small. Symptoms increase with the number of worms present and may include shortness of breath and fever in the beginning of the disease. These may be followed by symptoms of abdominal swelling, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Children are most commonly affected, and in this age group the infection may also cause poor weight gain, malnutrition, and learning problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helminthiasis</span> Any macroparasitic disease caused by helminths

Helminthiasis, also known as worm infection, is any macroparasitic disease of humans and other animals in which a part of the body is infected with parasitic worms, known as helminths. There are numerous species of these parasites, which are broadly classified into tapeworms, flukes, and roundworms. They often live in the gastrointestinal tract of their hosts, but they may also burrow into other organs, where they induce physiological damage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hookworm infection</span> Disease caused by intestinal parasites

Hookworm infection is an infection by a type of intestinal parasite known as a hookworm. Initially, itching and a rash may occur at the site of infection. Those only affected by a few worms may show no symptoms. Those infected by many worms may experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and tiredness. The mental and physical development of children may be affected. Anemia may result.

<i>Necator americanus</i> Species of hookworm

Necator americanus is a species of hookworm commonly known as the New World hookworm. Like other hookworms, it is a member of the phylum Nematoda. It is an obligatory parasitic nematode that lives in the small intestine of human hosts. Necatoriasis—a type of helminthiasis—is the term for the condition of being host to an infestation of a species of Necator. Since N. americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale are the two species of hookworms that most commonly infest humans, they are usually dealt with under the collective heading of "hookworm infection". They differ most obviously in geographical distribution, structure of mouthparts, and relative size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parasitic worm</span> Large type of parasitic organism

Parasitic worms, also known as helminths, are large macroparasites; adults can generally be seen with the naked eye. Many are intestinal worms that are soil-transmitted and infect the gastrointestinal tract. Other parasitic worms such as schistosomes reside in blood vessels.

The soil-transmitted helminths are a group of intestinal parasites belonging to the phylum Nematoda that are transmitted primarily through contaminated soil. They are so called because they have a direct life cycle which requires no intermediate hosts or vectors, and the parasitic infection occurs through faecal contamination of soil, foodstuffs and water supplies. The adult forms are essentially parasites of humans, causing soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH), but also infect domesticated mammals. The juveniles are the infective forms and they undergo tissue-migratory stages during which they invade vital organs such as lungs and liver. Thus the disease manifestations can be both local and systemic. The geohelminths together present an enormous infection burden on humanity, amounting to 135,000 deaths every year, and persistent infection of more than two billion people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neglected tropical diseases</span> Diverse group of tropical infectious diseases which are common in developing countries

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of tropical infections that are common in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. They are caused by a variety of pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and parasitic worms (helminths). These diseases are contrasted with the "big three" infectious diseases, which generally receive greater treatment and research funding. In sub-Saharan Africa, the effect of neglected tropical diseases as a group is comparable to that of malaria and tuberculosis. NTD co-infection can also make HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis more deadly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deworming</span> Use of anthelmintic drugs

Deworming is the giving of an anthelmintic drug to a human or animals to rid them of helminths parasites, such as roundworm, flukes and tapeworm. Purge dewormers for use in livestock can be formulated as a feed supplement that is eaten, a paste or gel that is deposited at the back of the animal's mouth, a liquid drench given orally, an injectable, or as a pour-on which can be applied to the animal's topline. In dogs and cats, purge dewormers come in many forms including a granular form to be added to food, pill form, chew tablets, and liquid suspensions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthelmintic</span> Antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) from the body

Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host. They may also be called vermifuges or vermicides. Anthelmintics are used to treat people who are infected by helminths, a condition called helminthiasis. These drugs are also used to treat infected animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soil-transmitted helminthiasis</span> Roundworm infection contracted from contaminated soil

Soil-transmitted helminthiasis is a type of helminth infection (helminthiasis) caused by different species of roundworms. It is caused specifically by those worms which are transmitted through soil contaminated with faecal matter and are therefore called soil-transmitted helminths. Three types of soil-transmitted helminthiasis can be distinguished: ascariasis, hookworm infection and whipworm infection. These three types of infection are therefore caused by the large roundworm A. lumbricoides, the hookworms Necator americanus or Ancylostoma duodenale and by the whipworm Trichuris trichiura.

The London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases was a collaborative disease eradication programme launched on 30 January 2012 in London. It was inspired by the World Health Organization roadmap to eradicate or prevent transmission for neglected tropical diseases by the year 2020. Officials from WHO, the World Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's 13 leading pharmaceutical companies, and government representatives from US, UK, United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Brazil, Mozambique and Tanzania participated in a joint meeting at the Royal College of Physicians to launch this project. The meeting was spearheaded by Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, and Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mundo Sano, or Fundación Mundo Sano, is a scientific, nongovernmental foundation in Argentina working for the prevention and control of communicable diseases such as dengue fever, Chagas disease, malaria, leishmaniasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis. Its main objective is to facilitate equal access to health and welfare among people who are vulnerable to these otherwise avoidable diseases, mainly by promoting strategic policies for the improvement of the quality of life of affected communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass deworming</span> Treating large numbers of people for helminthiasis and schistosomiasis

Mass deworming, also called preventive chemotherapy, is the process of treating large numbers of people, particularly children, for helminthiasis and schistosomiasis in areas with a high prevalence of these conditions. It involves treating everyone – often all children who attend schools, using existing infrastructure to save money – rather than testing first and then only treating selectively. Serious side effects have not been reported when administering the medication to those without worms, and testing for the infection is many times more expensive than treating it. Therefore, for the same amount of money, mass deworming can treat more people more cost-effectively than selective deworming. Mass deworming is one example of mass drug administration.

This is a timeline of deworming, and specifically mass deworming.

Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin), located in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit organization promoting global vaccine development, availability, and use. Through its work, Sabin hopes to reduce human suffering by preventing the spread of vaccine-preventable, communicable disease in humans through herd immunity and mitigating the poverty caused by these diseases.

Neglected tropical diseases in India are a group of bacterial, parasitic, viral, and fungal infections that are common in low income countries but receive little funding to address them. Neglected tropical diseases are common in India.

The Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases is a global health project that aims to mobilise political and financial resources for the control and eradication of infectious diseases, the so-called neglected tropical diseases due to different parasitic infections. Launched by the Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases on 27 January 2022, it was the culmination and join commitment declared at the Kigali Summit on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) hosted by the Government of Rwanda at its capital city Kigali on 23 June 2022.

References

  1. ↑ Nickbarg S (23 November 2011). "Worming Your Way Into Better Health: J&J and Children Without Worms". bclc.uschamber.com. Business Civic Leadership Center, Washington, DC. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  2. ↑ Salaam-Blyther T (2011). Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD): Background, Responses, and Issues for Congress. DIANE Publishing. p. 52. ISBN   9781437981148.
  3. ↑ "Uniting to Combat NTDs". Uniting to Combat NTDs. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  4. ↑ IFPMA (2012). "Children Without Worms". ifpma.org. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  5. 1 2 3 "Private and Public Partners Unite to Combat 10 Neglected Tropical Diseases by 2020". gatesfoundation.org. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 14 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  6. ↑ "Rubina Imtiaz". Huffpost. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  7. ↑ "Rubina Imtiaz". The Global Schistosomiasis Alliance (GSA). Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  8. ↑ WHO (2012). Eliminating Soil-transmitted Helminthiasis as a Public Health Problem in Children: Progress Report 2001–2010 and Strategic Plan 2011–2020 (PDF). WHO Press, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. pp. 1–78. ISBN   978-92-4-150312-9.
  9. ↑ Lustigman S, Prichard RK, Gazzinelli A, Grant WN, Boatin BA, McCarthy JS, Basáñez MG (2012). "A research agenda for helminth diseases of humans: the problem of helminthiases". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 6 (4): e1582. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001582 . PMC   3335854 . PMID   22545164.
  10. ↑ Bethony J, Brooker S, Albonico M, Geiger SM, Loukas A, Diemert D, Hotez PJ (May 2006). "Soil-transmitted helminth infections: ascariasis, trichuriasis, and hookworm". Lancet. 367 (9521): 1521–1532. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68653-4. PMID   16679166. S2CID   8425278.
  11. ↑ Yap P, Fürst T, Müller I, Kriemler S, Utzinger J, Steinmann P (August 2012). "Determining soil-transmitted helminth infection status and physical fitness of school-aged children". Journal of Visualized Experiments. 66 (66): e3966. doi:10.3791/3966. PMC   3486755 . PMID   22951972.
  12. ↑ Boatin BA, Basáñez MG, Prichard RK, Awadzi K, Barakat RM, García HH, et al. (2012). "A research agenda for helminth diseases of humans: towards control and elimination". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 6 (4): e1547. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001547 . PMC   3335858 . PMID   22545161.
  13. 1 2 WHO (3 February 2012). "WHO roadmap inspires unprecedented support to defeat neglected tropical diseases". who.int. World Health Organization, Geneva. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  14. ↑ "Keeping Children Free of Infection". Content Lab - U.S. 2017-01-31. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  15. 1 2 "Collaboration has been the hallmark of our work for more than three decades". The Task Force for Global Health. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  16. 1 2 "How Johnson & Johnson Is Helping Save Children Around the World from Intestinal Worm Infections". Content Lab U.S. 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  17. ↑ "U.S. FDA Approves Vermox™ Chewable (Mebendazole) For Treatment of Children and Adults With Roundworm and Whipworm Infections | Johnson & Johnson". Content Lab U.S. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  18. ↑ "What We Do | Children Without Worms". childrenwithoutworms.org. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  19. ↑ "CWW - Childeren Without Worms: Partnership for Treating and Preventing Intestinal Worms. | InfoNTD". www.infontd.org. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  20. ↑ Friedman AJ, Ali SM, Albonico M (2012). "Safety of a New Chewable Formulation of Mebendazole for Preventive Chemotherapy Interventions to Treat Young Children in Countries with Moderate-to-High Prevalence of Soil Transmitted Helminth Infections". Journal of Tropical Medicine. 2012: 590463. doi: 10.1155/2012/590463 . PMC   3540782 . PMID   23319961.
  21. ↑ "Mass Drug Administration to Deworm 17 Million Children Underway in Ethiopia". WHO | Regional Office for Africa. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  22. 1 2 Koporc KM, Strunz E, Holloway C, Addiss DG, Lin W (December 2015). Garba A (ed.). "Assessing "First Mile" Supply Chain Factors Affecting Timeliness of School-Based Deworming Interventions: Supply and Logistics Performance Indicators". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 9 (12): e0004115. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004115 . PMC   4684332 . PMID   26657842.
  23. ↑ "Country Support | Children Without Worms". www.childrenwithoutworms.org. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  24. 1 2 Dhakal S, Karim MJ, Al Kawsar A, Irish J, Rahman M, Tupps C, et al. (December 2020). Montresor A (ed.). "Post-intervention epidemiology of STH in Bangladesh: Data to sustain the gains". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 14 (12): e0008597. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008597 . PMC   7746288 . PMID   33284834.
  25. ↑ tfgh (2019-05-30). "Better Data and Drug Quality Drives Children Without Worms' Efforts to Help Eliminate Intestinal Worm Infections". The Task Force for Global Health. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  26. 1 2 Freeman MC, Akogun O, Belizario V, Brooker SJ, Gyorkos TW, Imtiaz R, et al. (April 2019). Webster JP (ed.). "Challenges and opportunities for control and elimination of soil-transmitted helminth infection beyond 2020". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 13 (4): e0007201. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007201 . PMC   6459486 . PMID   30973872.
  27. ↑ "Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis Advisory Committee Convenes at Swiss TPH". www.myscience.ch. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  28. ↑ "Technical Leadership | Children Without Worms". www.childrenwithoutworms.org. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  29. ↑ "New Methods for Assessing Impact in deworming". Task Force for Global Health. 2017-04-03.
  30. ↑ "Uniting to Stop the Worms Infographic" (PDF). www.childrenwithoutworms.org. 13 December 2018.
  31. ↑ "How Johnson & Johnson Is Helping Save Children Around the World from Intestinal Worm Infections". Content Lab - U.S. 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  32. ↑ "One medicine fighting two neglected tropical diseases" (PDF). www.gsk.com. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  33. ↑ Harris JR, Worrell CM, Davis SM, Odero K, Mogeni OD, Deming MS, et al. (March 2015). Bentwich Z (ed.). "Unprogrammed deworming in the Kibera slum, Nairobi: implications for control of soil-transmitted helminthiases". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 9 (3): e0003590. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003590 . PMC   4357447 . PMID   25763577.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.