Soil-Transmitted Helminths: The Neglected Parasites

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are still considered to be the most prevalent infections of humankind. STH, traditionally endemic in rural areas, are increasingly becoming a public health concern in urban slums of cities in tropical and subtropical developing countries in Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South America. These helminths, Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus), Trichuris trichiura and Strongyloides stercoralis, can live in silence as chronic infections with prominent morbidity amongst children and mothers of childbearing age. The main impact of STH infections is their associations with malnutrition, vitamin A deficiency (VAD), iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA), intellectual retardation and cognitive and educational deficits. The devastating consequences of these helminths during childhood may continue into adulthood with effects on the economic productivity which trap the communities at risk of infections in a cycle of poverty, underdevelopment and disease. Hence, the WHO regarded the control of STH amongst the top five health priorities within the global massive effort to eradicate poverty. Moreover, controlling STH infections has significant positive impacts on the nutritional status and educational performance of the vulnerable children in endemic communities. H.M. Al-Mekhlafi (*) • Y.A.L. Lim (*) • R. Ngui Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] N. Moktar Department of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Y.A.L. Lim and I. Vythilingam (eds.), Parasites and their vectors, DOI 10.1007/978-3-7091-1553-4_11, © Springer-Verlag Wien 2013 205