Make A Difference » Priority Programs » Worm Busters Campaign 

Parasitic worm control in the Americas is a top priority of the Pan American Health and Education Foundation. Millions of children and adults are adversely affected by worm infestations, and the treatment is now inexpensive and accessible. In fact, it can cost as little as 2 cents to cover one essential treatment per child; two treatments per year are sometimes necessary.

• children feel near immediate relief from abdominal pain,

• the worms are expelled from their bodies within about 24 hours and

• Long-term health status improves: Children receiving treatment will soon be able to concentrate more in school, do better in learning, homework and exams (i.e. cognitive improvements), gain back their appetite, grow more normally, and be less anemic.

• Achieve a sustainable reduction in the disease burden caused by soil-transmitted worms and lymphatic filariasis in a high risk, poverty stricken endemic area in Maceio, Brazil. (March 2003 – November 2005. $100,000)

• Conduct an epidemiological profile of intestinal worms in school-age children in Belize to establish public health actions needed to reduce the disease burden. (March -September 2005. $40,100)

• Design and implement a World Health Organization Communication-for-Behavioral Impact program for selected communicable diseases in four developing countries, including parasitic worm control in one of the PAHO member states. (January 2005 – January 2007. $30,000)