Strategy | STH Overview | STH Control | Mebendazole | Focus on Children

It is estimated that up to 400 million children under the age of 15 (one-third of the global burden) suffer from one or more STH infections. Approximately 150 million of these are preschool-aged while 250 million are school-aged.

Young children are exposed to STH infections when they start to crawl and play outdoors if their homes and communities do not have adequate sanitation and proper hygiene is not practiced by their caregivers. As the human body’s immune system takes many years to mature, children who become infected may ultimately develop diseases associated with STH infections such as anemia, malnutrition, stunted growth, abdominal pain and intestinal obstruction.

The consequences of these diseases in children can be long-lasting consequences because these infections may interfere with the children’s physical and cognitive development which may ultimately result in poor school performance and decreased labor productivity as adults.

Children Without Worms is committed to ensuring that the mebendazole donated by Johnson & Johnson, is used to treat the children most at risk of STH infections. Children Without Worms is also committed to working with partners to reduce transmission of infection through hygiene education and environmental sanitation so children can grow, play, learn and enrich their communities.