Johnson & Johnson donates Mebendazole to treat and prevent STH infection in Zambia

Children Without Worms
Zambia
Johnson & Johnson

Zambia is a land-locked republic with a population just under 12 million in the south of Africa. Zambia’s economy is largely based in copper mining, but the government has been pursuing a program of economic diversification in recent years to reduce the economic dependence on copper. Zambia is a middle income country. Almost 68% of the population lives below the national poverty line. This number is higher in the rural areas.

About 1.2 billion people, 20% of the world’s population, are infected, or at risk of being infected, by soil transmitted helminths (STH). Those most at-risk of infection live in the poorest areas of tropical and sub-tropical countries of the world, where the humidity, warm soil, and inadequate sanitation support the lifecycle of the helminth and thus, facilitate transmission. In these high transmission areas, such as Zambia, regular treatment will stop the infection from developing into a serious disease. Transmission of STH can be controlled through regular treatment of mebendazole and prevention activities, which include hygiene education, and provision of water and sanitation facilities. 

The highest rates of infections are in children ages 5 to 15 years. An estimated 400 million children suffer from one or more STH infections. Children in at-risk communities without adequate sanitation are exposed to STH infections when they begin to crawl and play outdoors. The immune system takes many years to mature, and children who become infected and are not treated develop diseases associated with STH infections such as anemia and malnutrition. The consequences of STH infections in children can be long-lasting because they interfere with the children’s physical and cognitive development, which may ultimately result in poor school performance and decreased labor productivity as adults.

In an effort to rid the world’s children of STH infections, Johnson & Johnson partnered with the Task Force for Child Survival and Development to establish Children Without Worms. The goal is to support global efforts to reduce the burden of STH infections in children who are most severely infected or are at high risk for infection and have limited access to safe and effective treatment. To achieve this goal, they work with national programs of Ministries of Health and/or Education to leverage the Johnson & Johnson donations of mebendazole to promote comprehensive and sustainable STH control policies that include both treatment and prevention activities. Children Without Worms supports eight countries, including Zambia.

Children Without Worms began its program in Zambia in 2007. All STH treatment and prevention activities in Zambia are coordinated by a consortium of partners and government ministries called the Child Health Technical Working Group. This group includes the Ministry of Education, which promotes deworming as part of its school health and nutrition program. The Child Health Technical Working Group also includes the National Food and Nutrition Commission and the Zambia Bilharzia Control Programme of the Ministry of Health, which is responsible for overseeing and distributing the donated mebendazole during national Child Health Weeks.

Working with the consortium, Children Without Worms secured a grant from the Izumi Foundation for STH treatment efforts in Zambia. This grant supports the training of teachers and community health workers to distribute mebendazole to the children of Zambia. It also supports the development and distribution of information, education, and communication materials; as well as the implementation of monitoring and evaluation activities.

Children Without Worms also provided a separate grant in Zambia to implement a baseline study to identify areas of high disease burden in areas of the country that had not previously been surveyed. This survey will assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding transmission, treatment and prevention of STH infections. This grant is supplemented by funds from UNICEF and the Zambian Government and laboratory supplies from the World Health Organization.  

In 2008 Johnson & Johnson, through Children Without Worms, will donate mebendazole to treat approximately 20 million school age children in eight developing countries, making it possible for many of the world’s poorest children to live healthier lives.

Close to 3 million of these doses will be used to treat children in Zambia.