In the News

Delhi, India Conducts Mass School-Based Deworming Exercise

February 28, 2012 | Delhi, India

On February 21st, the Government of Delhi launched a mass school-based deworming exercise throughout the National Capital Territory (NCT) targeting 3.6 million school-age and preschool children. The “Worm Free Childhood” initiative is led by Delhi’s Directorate of Health Services. Deworm the World (DtW) has supported a robust partnership between directorates of health and education of Delhi, as well as municipal corporations and other government departments for the implementation of this program, a truly multi-sectoral approach to combating worms in Delhi. The Government of Delhi, with the support of Deworm the World, is working to determine how many children were reached by this first exercise, and on February 27th, a "Mop-up Day" provided treatment to children who weren't present on deworming day.

See more about the Delhi program on the Deworm the World website.

Read more news coverage about the Delhi program.

Kenya Launches Scheme to Deworm 5 Million Children Annually for Next Five Years

January 31, 2012 | World Economic Forum

At the World Economic Forum at Davos this year, Kenya announces the next phase of its deworming program. The program aims to treat 5 million children annually for the next five years, supported by Deworm the World, which has treated 37 million children worldwide.

Watch the press conference here, or view it on the World Economic Forum website.

Indian State Implements Record-Breaking School Health Campaign For 17 Million Children

Dec 8, 2011 | The ONE Blog

In a blog post for ONE, Michael Kremer, Gates Professor of Developing Societies at Harvard University, outlines why the school-based deworming program in Bihar is an exciting success for the global fight against poverty.  Drawing on evidence from his own research, he explains why deworming is such a smart development policy which results in immediate and long lasting health and education benefits. The Bihar program, Kremer writes, demonstrates that with the right technical support from organizations like DtW, governments can effectively implement research to improve the lives of millions.

Killing Two Development Problems With One Tablet

Nov 22, 2011 | Global Health Policy, Center for Global Development

Nandini Oomman, director of the HIV/AIDS Monitor at the Center for Global Development, explains why news of the DtW supported Bihar school-based deworming program 'makes her day'.

De-Worming Schoolchildren: Bihar Leads The Way

Nov 21, 2011 | The Tribune, India

“At a time when parasitic worms are threatening school education goals worldwide by preventing children from attending classes, Nitish Kumar-led Bihar has become the first state in the country to host the world’s largest de-worming project for schoolchildren.”

Free From Worms, Free To Learn

Nov 12, 2011 | The Hindu

“The first State-wide school-based de-worming programme which concluded recently in Bihar provides a model that can be rapidly scaled up in other States and sustained over time to improve the education, health and productivity of school children, said Deworm the World Managing Director Alissa Fishbane.”

Deworming Makes History: From Research To Action In India

Oct 11, 2011 | The Berkeley Blog

In his Berkeley Blog, UC Berkeley Professor Ted Miguel highlights how, by partnering with DtW, his research (with Prof. Michael Kremer of Harvard University) has been turned into practice by governments, most recently and strikingly by the State Government of Bihar who recently announced the treatment of over 17 million school-age children for intestinal worms.

DtW Boosting School Populations In Developing Countries

Oct 7, 2011 | MIT Spectrum

MIT Professor Kristin Forbes admits she once wondered if economics was “all about doing proofs in an ivory tower.” Now, as a founder of Deworm the World, she has seen firsthand “the power of good economics to improve the lives of millions.”

Indian State Of Bihar Makes History With World’s Largest School-Based Deworming Program

Oct 3, 2011 | Deworm the World

Patna, India:
Over 17 million children in the Indian state of Bihar were provided with deworming treatment as part of one of the largest school-based deworming efforts ever conducted in the world. The announcement was made by Mr. Rajesh Bhushan, the State Project Director of the Bihar Education Project Council (BEPC) and Secretary of Public Relations Department, Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of Department of Health & Family Welfare and Executive Director of the State Health Society Bihar (SHSB), and Ms. Prerna Makkar, Regional Director – South Asia, Deworm the World (DtW) as they reported the results of Bihar’s first-ever statewide school-based deworming program implemented from February through April 2011. Mr. Kumar said "it is remarkable that such a technically simple intervention, as regular and systematic deworming, can have such a profound effect on the nutritional, health and education status of millions of children."

Bihar has a very high rate of parasitic worm infection, with all school-age children at risk and more than 50% infected in most districts, according to prevalence surveys conducted by DtW. As worm infections damage children’s health, education and development, all school-age children in Bihar – nearly 21 million – were targeted for deworming by this program. Infected children are more likely to suffer from malnutrition and anemia, resulting in children who are either too sick or too tired to concentrate in class or to attend school. This can cause lifelong harm to a child with research showing that children who remain infected earn 43% less as adults, and are 13% less likely to be literate.

Fortunately, treating worm infection is as easy as administering a deworming tablet once or twice each year to all school-age children. The medication is safe for both infected and uninfected children, and delivery through schools ensures the greatest coverage and impact. Deworming children in schools, where the treatment is administered by teachers and supported by healthcare staff, is a simple and cost-effective way to improve children’s health and their ability to learn. Researchers at Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley have found that school-based deworming reduces school absenteeism by as much as 25%.

This massive first-time deworming program in Bihar was launched under the direction of the State School Health Coordination Committee (SSHCC), an inter-sectoral committee between the SHSB and the BEPC in coordination with DtW. Mr. Bhushan stated that “a strong three-way partnership amongst the BEPC, SHSB, and Deworm the World along with elaborate advance planning and large-scale training of education and health personnel led to the program's success.” Program costs in Bihar were financed by the BEPC, SHSB and Information and Public Relations Department, with support for DtW’s technical, coordination and monitoring assistance provided by the World Bank and the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases.

During the program, nearly 140,000 teachers and 20,000 healthcare staff throughout Bihar were trained to deliver the medication. “Deworming Day” treated both enrolled and non-enrolled children between the ages of 6 and 14 through a network of over 67,000 government schools statewide. Children who receive treatment benefit immediately – previous research shows that school participation increases and children are better able to learn in school. The SSHCC is actively considering implementing a second round of deworming in 2012, with the goals of continuing treatment for the millions of children already reached, and expanding the program to include even more school-age children.

The large scale of the Bihar program exemplifies the success and positive impacts of school-based deworming. According to Dr. Lesley Drake, Executive Director of DtW, “there are very few interventions which are as safe, cost effective and as easy to administer as deworming. For less than 50 cents per year, a child can be free from worms and free to learn. The children of Bihar are already experiencing the benefits of treatment, and we will continue to support governments in their efforts to ensure that millions more children can live healthy lives and fully reap the benefits of education.”

Bihar provides a model that can be rapidly scaled up and sustained over time to improve the education, health and productivity of school-age children.

Poor sanitation makes EWS kids vulnerable to parasitic worms

March 14, 2011 | The Pioneer (India)

"The number of schoolchildren from slums and rural areas, infected by deadly parasitic worms such as tapeworms and round worms, is increasing in the country due to poor sanitation and unclean water. The children of the age group of 6 to 14 years are most vulnerable to the deadly parasitic worms."

Mass de-worming drive for Bihar children from Monday

February 06, 2011 | The Hindu

"The first ever State-wide school-based mass de-worming programme is being launched in Bihar this Monday."

Tummy worms? Cure in school

February 04, 2011 | The Telegraph (India)

"A mass programme to eliminate intestinal worms in schoolchildren that is about to be launched in Bihar next week may soon expand to Delhi and other states, including Bengal, technical experts with the programme have said."

Davos 2011: Communities of Action to End Extreme Poverty

January 25, 2011 | The Huffington Post

"Leading economists Esther Duflo, Kristin Forbes, Michael Kremer, and Vikram Akula, through Deworm the World, have dewormed more than 3 million children."

Deworming drive for children of over 900 govt schools

October 26, 2010 | Indian Express

"After Andhra Pradesh, Delhi will be the second state to implement a school-based deworming project in all its 900 plus government-run schools, covering more than 1.3 million children in its first phase."

Davos 2010: Davos and the Real World

February 04, 2010 | Vikram Akula, Harvard Business Review

"Deworm the World is helping to launch programs in countries around the world through advocacy and by advising governments and NGO partners."

Kenya commits to deworm children

March 21, 2009 | Capital News

"Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Friday said that the government was committed to deworm school children, terming it as an effective health intervention in improving students’ participation in schools."

Cherie Blair wants to kill the world's intestinal worms

January 25, 2008 | Time

"Somewhere behind those backs of people's heads are Cherie Booth Blair (you know, Tony's wife), pretending to be an intestinal worm, chasing (while wearing boots with three-inch heels) after a bunch of Davos attendees pretending to be schoolchildren."