Extending the global worm index and its links to human development and child education

Vietnam: Neglected tropical diseases in an emerging and accelerating economy

“…It is likely these 2 aspects are mutually reinforcing. Of interest is our finding that the impact of mass drug administration on educational attainment and development is greater in middle-income countries exhibiting lower worm burdens, compared to fragile nations with excessively high worm burdens [ 78 ]. The basis of this observation is not known, but it has been suggested that there is an accelerant effect as economies begin to improve and burdens of disease from worms diminish.…”

Resolving "worm wars": An extended comparison review of findings from key economics and epidemiological studies

“…A big concern with existing work, however, is with inference or external validity, because the most influential work comes from East Africa with some studies from India and China not finding any serious externality effect of deworming [24–25, 56–57]. Recent studies are among the first to examine associations between worms and education/human development index (HDI) at the global level [58–60]. For instance, the study by Kang and colleagues found a negative but nonlinear effect of worms, which included steep effects in countries with low or modest worm prevalence levels (“worm indices”) but milder effects on countries with greater prevalence levels [60].…”

“…Recent studies are among the first to examine associations between worms and education/human development index (HDI) at the global level [58–60]. For instance, the study by Kang and colleagues found a negative but nonlinear effect of worms, which included steep effects in countries with low or modest worm prevalence levels (“worm indices”) but milder effects on countries with greater prevalence levels [60]. This work needs to be carefully built upon to better understand causal impact of deworming drugs in different parts of the countries with the varying level of the worm index to better understand the relationship between baseline prevalence and intensity of worms and treatment not only within countries but across the globe.…”

Identification of Inhibitors of the Schistosoma mansoni VKR2 Kinase Domain

“…Finally, S. japonicum is endemic in parts of the People’s Republic of China and the Philippines . The eggs of the parasite induce an inflammatory response that then leads to tissue fibrosis and portal vein hypertension or occlusion (intestinal schistosomiasis caused by S. mansoni and S. japonicum ) or hydronephrosis and squamous bladder cancer (urinary schistosomiasis caused by S. hematobium ). ,, The greatest infection intensities are among children and adolescents, and, if left untreated, this painful and debilitating disease impairs academic performance and undermines social and economic development. − Of note, female genital schistosomiasis has been linked to an increased risk of HIV infections , and is now a major focus of World Health Organization (WHO) awareness campaigns …”

“… 4 , 1 , 5 The greatest infection intensities are among children and adolescents, and, if left untreated, this painful and debilitating disease impairs academic performance and undermines social and economic development. 6 − 8 Of note, female genital schistosomiasis has been linked to an increased risk of HIV infections 9 , 10 and is now a major focus of World Health Organization (WHO) awareness campaigns. 11 …”