The public health importance of Acaris lumbricoides

Numerous studies have shown that anthelminthic treatment can be effective i n improving growth rates when given to malnourished children with ascariasi s. Recent investigations have also indicated that Ascaris infections can af fect mental processing in some school children. Poor socio-economic conditi ons are among tile key factors linked with higher prevalences of ascariasis , as are dcfaecation practices, geophagia, cultural differences relating to personal and food hygiene, occupational necessity, agricultural factors, h ousing style, social class and gender. Chemotherapy is currently the major tool used fur the strategic control of ascariasis as a short-term goal. In the long term, improvements in hygiene and sanitation are thought to aid lo ng-term control considerably. Targeted treatment, especially when aimed at schoolchildren, as been a major focus of recent control efforts in some are as. Universal treatment reaches more people and thus decreases further aggr egate morbidity, especially in nutritionally vulnerable preschool-age child ren. Selective treatment requires technical effort to identify heavily infe cted individuals; acceptance by the community may vary in less educated pop ulations when some individuals receive treatment and others do trot. Child- targeted treatment may be more cost-effective than population treatment in reducing tile number of disease cases and, in high transmission areas, expa nding coverage of a population can he a more cost-effective strategy than i ncreasing the frequency of treatment.