School-Based Deworming An Education Policy Priority

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School-Based DewormingAn Education Policy
Priority

• Lesley Drake
• Fast Track Initiative Meeting,
• Copenhagen, 2009

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• Over 400 million school-age children are infected
  with worms worldwide

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Why should the education sector worry about worms?

• because these infections have a significant
  impact on access to education, ability to learn
  and overall achievement.

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In terms of access

• Deworming can increase school participation by 7
  and decrease absenteeism by 25.

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In terms of cognition

• Treated children scored 0.25 SD higher on
  cognitive tests than those who still carried worm
  infections.

Grigorenko et al. 2007
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In terms of long-term development

• Children persistently infected with worms were
  13 less likely to be literate and earned 43
  less as adults (Bleakley 2007).

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A Simple Solution

• For less than US 0.50 per child per year, mass
  school-based deworming is a safe, simple, highly
  effective and cost-effective intervention.

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The cost and effectiveness of deworming and
school health
School feeding
Basic school health services
Conditional cash transfer (PROGRESA)
Extra textbooks
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• Launched by the Education Task Force of the Young
  Global Leaders at the 2007 World Economic Forum
  at Davos.
• Working closely with a coalition of partners
  supporting, coordinating, and advocating for
  school-based deworming programs.
• Targeting 28 million school-age children in 2009.

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• Currently providing technical support to the
  education sectors in 35 low income countries.
• Are worms a problem?

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Prevalence of worms insub-Saharan Africa
Prevalence
lt 5 5-19 20-49 gt 50
Brooker et al. 2006
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Kenya
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Worm prevalence()
Where are the worms?
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Moving this forward

• High-level political support
• MoU between education and health
• Community sensitisation and public awareness
  campaign
• Policy, plan, ME framework and budget
• Drugs
• Teacher training and material development

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This could be a silver bullet
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For more information please visit
www.dewormtheworld.org or email
contact_at_dewormtheworld.org