Take Up

Regular mass deworming of children once or twice a year has greatly contributed to the reductionin the prevalence of worms in several countries. National, school-based deworming programs are the most efficient and cost-effective way to reach kids, and are a cornerstone of addressing the public health threat of STH and schistosomiasis in a growing number of countries.

But there is a growing recognition that treatment of children alone might not be sufficient to break the transmission of worm infections. Infected adults constitute a latent reservoir of worm eggs and present a significant re-infection risk to children, in particular for hookworm, one of the three STH. So, how do we reduce the reinfection of children by treating adults? Enter Take Up, a new research project of Evidence Action's Deworm the World Initiative.