parasitic worms

The case for mass school-based deworming in endemic countries stands on two legs: First, the body of rigorous evidence that supports mass deworming as a cost-effective intervention. Second, mass treatment without first testing for infection is cheap, safe, and an efficient strategy for reaching lots of kids quickly. Claims in a recent paper by Calum Davey and colleagues and the Cochrane Review by members of the same research group that have been picked up in the press are based on flawed analysis, and could threaten an emerging public health success story.