Hookworm infection and disease: advances for control

Advances in epidemiology and in control strategies of hookworm infection and associated disease were reviewed. Recent estimates indicate that hookworms infect approximately 1.3 billion people worldwide, and 96 million suffer from associated morbidity, including also insidious effects on nutritional status and on physical and intellectual development. Recent research studies on iron loss and iron-deficiency anaemia associated to hookworm infection were irondeficiency anemia associated to hookworm infection were reviewed. Recommendations for planning strategies for the control of hookworm infection were addressed and epidemiology, targets, chemotherapy, health education, sanitation, monitoring and evaluation in helminth control programmes were discussed. Special relevance was given to chemotherapy with new, single dose broad spectrum, safe anthelminthic drugs as the mainstay of control strategy to reduce intensity of infection, iron-deficiency anaemia and other morbidity indicators associated with hookworm infections. For the control of transmission of hookworm infection, periodic chemotherapy should be implemented in the context of ongoing improvement of sanitation and promotion of health education. These elements should be integrated into the prevailing system of primary health care and must be based on multisectoral collaboration to ensure sustainability of control programmes.