PHA-Exchange> INCREASED BENEFITS FOUND FROM WIDER USE OF ANTI-PARASITE DRUGS

[Claudio]

From: "Vern Weitzel" <vern.weitzel at undp.org>
From: Judy Ladinsky <jlladins at wisc.edu>
> > *INCREASED BENEFITS FOUND FROM WIDER USE OF ANTI-PARASITE DRUGS
> >
> > *Geneva -* Encouraging new data from the wider distribution of
> > anti-parasite drugs in pregnant women and very young children
> > demonstrates that medicines commonly used to treat parasitic
> > infections have much wider benefits than was previously thought. The
> > data was presented during a two-day meeting from 29-30 November in
> > Geneva of the Partnership for Parasite Control, hosted by the World
> > Health Organization (WHO).
> >
> > Anti-parasite drugs have long been used to treat school-age children
> > in campaigns worldwide to improve health and educational outcomes.
> > Intestinal worms can cause malnutrition, fatigue, organ damage, and in
> > severe cases, cancer of the bladder. Anti-parasite drugs kill worms in
> > the human body, as well as helping to prevent anaemia, and to maximize
> > cognitive and physical development.
> >
> > Due to safety concerns, the drugs were not widely recommended for
> > young children or for pregnant women until 2002, when a WHO Expert
> > Committee recommended that pregnant women and children from 12 months
> > to five years old be included in all worm control strategies.
> >
> > During the meeting, Nepal reported a significant improvement in
> > maternal health, as well as a 41% drop in infant mortality at six
> > months, in pregnant women who were given two treatments for parasites.
> > This major study followed an investigation in Sierra Leone, where
> > pregnant women given deworming medicine and iron supplements were
> > found to have decreased anaemia incidence as well as improved iron
status.
> >
> > In a study in Sri Lanka, researchers found no variation in the birth
> > defect rate among women who were taking anti-parasite treatment and
> > those who were not, thus verifying the medicine's safety. Among young
> > children, a recent study in Zanzibar demonstrated that in children
> > under five years of age, anti-parasite treatment can reduce
> > malnutrition by 62%, as well as reducing moderate anemia by 59%.