Summary of the Deworming Evidence Base
There is an interesting on-going discussion around the evidence base for deworming. There is consensus that treating children for intestinal worms is safe and appropriate. The discussion focuses on whether the evidence we have to date, specifically the evidence on education and labor market outcomes, does justify mass treatment programs of the sort supported by our Deworm the World Initiative; that is, programs in which all children in an endemic area are treated, without determining infection status. In this post, we aim to point to some resources that summarize the evidence on this question, provide links to the conversations that inform this discussion, and share why we find deworming to be a sound investment.