Worms damage mental acuity of rural children

JAKARTA (JP): Massive deworming, or medical treatment for worm related diseases, is an important aspect which should be included in community health education programs to help achieve an intellectually sound rural society, experts say.

Che Ghani Mohammod, a parasitologist from the School of Medicine at University Kebangsaan Malaysia and Barnett L. Cline, Director of the Medical Center at Tulane University, Los Angeles, U.S., told reporters at a seminar yesterday that recent studies showed worm related diseases had a significant effect on the intellectual abilities of children.

Mohammod, who did research on students at four primary schools in the second poorest district of Malaysia's Trengganu region, revealed that the intensity of infection caused by Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura worms were significantly correlated with impaired problem solving abilities, poor school performance, underweight and low height for age.

"However, the pathways which the worms affect the children's mentality is still unknown," he said, adding that this may either be through anemia, malnutrition or through direct causes.

Speaking at a seminar on community health education challenges for the community in the 21st century, Cline pointed out that although deworming is only a temporary solution to the "worm problem" -- as health education plays a bigger role in increasing a community's hygiene in the long run -- deworming has its own benefits.

"Treatment is a very effective way to build confidence as people see the benefit quickly... In the long run, deworming not only treats but changes people's attitude and boosts their potential and productivity," he said.

Deworming consists of eliminating intestinal worms by taking medication in tablet form on a regular basis.

Mohammod suggests children in all grades be dewormed every four to six months, rather than the present practice of deworming only first and sixth graders.

Slum areas

Cline explained that the most common worm is the giant round worm, or Ascaris, which infects 90 percent of children in Indonesia, most of whom live in rural or slum areas where sanitation is poor.

It enters their bodies and intestines through food and contact.

Deworming at regular intervals is considered a cheaper and faster method of controlling infection, compared to the relatively slow improvement of health education and sanitation.

"They are even found in children who look normal, or healthy," Cline added.

By treating the children, he said, they would benefit by growing faster and would eat more, be stronger, more active and learn quicker.

Manouchehr Yazhari of SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, U.K., said current figures show that two billion people suffer from parasites while studies suggest that a global, major approach should be made to resolve the problem.

"Programs would be more effective if they were carried out on a joint basis between government authorities, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, academics or experts and members of the community," he said.

Mass treatment projects, which rely on personnel with limited training to provide health education, medication or specific health services directly to specific groups at schools, work sites or households, are found to be more cost efficient than individual, case by case medication, he said.

Minister of Health Sujudi in his opening speech encouraged members of the Center for Education and Training of Health Personnel, who organized the seminar, to boost activities, "and resist from boring people."

"Don't talk only, act... Make the community really count on the Center because they personally need it in their daily life, not because they are obligated to listen to the trainers," he said.(pwn)