YSPH EMD Seminar: “Molecular epidemiology of soil-transmitted helminth infections: prospects for disease control and elimination”

More than a billion people worldwide live in communities at risk for soil transmitted helminth (STH) infection. These parasitic worms cause significant morbidity, especially in children and women of reproductive age, who are vulnerable to anemia and malnutrition associated with chronic infection. Despite decades of mass drug administration of benzimidazole anthelminthics, STH infections remain prevalent in many resource limited settings, including countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America. This seminar will offer a critical appraisal of current control methods, with a particular focus on deworming effectiveness, the potential for emerging drug resistance, and the development of tools to monitor control program impact and inform public health policy.