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Deworming Campaign Treats More than 300,000 for Parasitic Infection

In the remote Amazon jungle of Peru, poor sanitation infrastructure, lack of access to clean water, and limited knowledge of preventive health and hygiene practices have contributed to endemic parasitic infection. Children are most vulnerable to the effects of parasites, which compromise their physical and cognitive development at the most crucial time in their lives.

To counteract the devastating effects of parasitic infection, INMED and its program partners have organized deworming campaigns in association with the Healthy Babies program, which is working to prevent maternal and infant mortality and strengthen the regional maternal and child health care system.

Through the campaigns, most recently in Spring 2008, more than 300,000 women of reproductive age, children, and other household members were treated for parasitic infection with deworming medication donated by Johnson & Johnson/Janssen-Cilag. The target population for the Healthy Babiesprogram—pregnant women and infants—did not receive the medication, but by treating the other members of their families, they will be protected from otherwise heavy infection levels in their environment.

An educational campaign accompanied the treatment, using posters and banners to inform the public about ways to prevent infection (see brochure). Although parasite levels can be effectively reduced, they cannot be completely eliminated; therefore, treatment will continue on a semiannual basis.

INMED program partners—the Peru Ministry of Health - Department of Health Ucayali Region, USAID and Janssen-Cilag—collaborated with INMED to develop the public education materials shown here. The poster above, with a picture of indigenous youth whose bellies are heavily swollen with parasites, answers the question “Who has parasites?” The poster at left illustrates simple but effective steps to help avoid parasitic infection, such as handwashing, keeping fingernails short, washing fruits and vegetables before eating them, drinking only clean (boiled or chlorinated) water, using latrines, wearing shoes, and collecting trash.