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Mass deworming (also called preventive chemotherapy) is the process of treating large numbers of people for helminthiasis (for example soil-transmitted helminths or STH) and schistosomiasis infections in areas with high degree of worm infection in the general population, particularly for children.〔 It involves treating everyone - often all children who attend schools - rather than testing first and then only treating selectively. This is based on the fact that there are no known side effects to being treated when not infected, and testing for the infection is many times more expensive than treating it. So for the same amount of money, mass deworming can treat many more people than selective deworming. Mass deworming is one example of mass drug administration.〔 Mass deworming of children can be carried out by administering for example mebendazole and albendazole which are two types of anthelmintic drug.〔 The cost of providing one tablet every six months per child (typical dose) is relatively low.〔 Over 870 million children are at risk of parasitic worm infection.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs366/en )〕 Worm infections interfere with nutrient uptake; can lead to anemia, malnourishment and impaired mental and physical development; and pose a serious threat to children’s health, education, and productivity. Infected children are often too sick or tired to concentrate at school, or to attend at all. In 2001, the World Health Assembly set a target for the World Health Organization (WHO) to treat 75% of school-aged children by 2010. For various reasons, the medical evidence regarding the long-term health benefits of children who have been part of mass deworming programmes is not easy to prove conclusively. Proponents argue that the methodology of studies that discount the value of mass deworming is biased and should not be used alone in deciding mass deworming policy. Some non-governmental organizations specifically support mass deworming. The Deworm the World Initiative, a project of the non-governmental organization Evidence Action, is one of the highest-rated charities by the evaluator Givewell because of the low cost of deworming children, large-scale implementation, and wider benefits to society. == Background == Intestinal parasitic worms (collectively called soil-transmitted helminths) affect more than 1.4 billion people, according to WHO estimates in 2015, with 249 million being infected with Schistosoma-type worms. The World Health Organization recommends mass deworming of children on the grounds that it is generally expected to improve the nutritional status of the treated children, reduce anemia and increase cognitive abilities. This could bring about overall health benefits and better school performance in certain circumstances.〔 In 2001, the World Health Assembly set a target for the World Health Organization (WHO) to treat 75% of school-aged children by 2010.〔 In 2009, an estimated 200 million children worldwide were treated.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mass deworming」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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