Published: February 4, 2025 | File type: External Link

Prevalence and intensity of soil-transmitted helminth infections among school-aged children in five districts in Uganda

Benjamin Tinkitina, Prudence Beinamaryo, Hilda Kyarisiima, Betty Nabatte, Moses Arinaitwe, Alfred Mubangizi, Paul Emerson, Kristin M. Sullivan

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, commonly caused by roundworms (Ascaris lumbricoides), whipworms (Trichuris trichiura), and hookworms (Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale), were widespread among Ugandan schoolchildren in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since 2003, the Ugandan Ministry of Health has administered biannual preventive chemotherapy to children aged 1–14 years to control these infections. Twenty years after the program’s inception, there is scant data to show the long-term impact of these national deworming efforts.

Tinkitina B, Beinamaryo P, Kyarisiima H, Nabatte B, Arinaitwe M, Mubangizi A, et al. (2024) Prevalence and intensity of soil-transmitted helminth infections among school-aged children in five districts in Uganda. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 18(8): e0012324. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0012324