The GOAL

Over the last 20 years, various parties (including many STH Coalition members) have successfully increased the level of attention given to STH control. Since declaring STH as a public health problem in 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a strategic plan outlining Targets & Milestones that serve as a foundation for a global STH control strategy. Each year WHO publishes a report on the Number of People Treated within STH control programs.

Timeline of STH Commitments
• 2001 - World Health Assembly passed resolution WHA 54.19 which defined STH as a public health problem
• 2006 - Children Without Worms was founded through a partnership between Johnson & Johnson and the Task Force for Global Health
• 2010 - Johnson & Johnson pledged annual donations of Mebendazole to the year 2020
• 2011 - GlaxoSmithKline pledged annual donations of Albendazole to the year 2020
• 2012 - WHO strategic plan published
• 2012 - London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases launched
• 2014 - In Paris, global partners announced increased funding for NTDs, including $120 million in new funding for STH
• 2014 - The STH Coalition created
• 2017 -NTD Summit, Geneva Switzerland highlighted partnerships and progress toward achievement of London Declaration milestones

 

2020: WHO TARGETS & MILESTONES

The global goal established by WHO is to eliminate morbidity due to STH in children by 2020. As described herein, we recognize that the stated goal largely ignores hookworm and those most infected by that parasite. Regardless, the elimination of morbidity, also referred to as elimination of STH as public health problem, will in large part result from regular treatment of at least 75% of children in endemic areas.. WHO has set milestones to monitor and evaluate the global progress of STH control. See more information on WHO milestones and the 2020 strategic plan here.
 
WHO Vision
• A world free of childhood morbidity due to STH.
WHO Goal
• Eliminate STH as a public health problem in preschool-age children (aged 1–4 years) and school-age children (aged 5–14 years). STH is considered as a public health problem when the prevalence of STH moderate-to-high intensity infection (measured by eggs per gram of stool) is >1%.
WHO Objectives
• All the countries where STH is considered a public health problem start national STH control programs by 2015.
• All the countries where STH is considered as a public health problem reach 75% national coverage and 100% geographical coverage by 2020
2020 WHO Milestones
• 100% of countries requiring preventive chemotherapy for STH have achieved 75% national coverage of at-risk children.
• 100% of countries requiring preventive chemotherapy for STH regularly assess intensity of the infections in sentinel sites.
• ≤1% of population requiring preventive chemotherapy for STH have infection of high or moderate intensity.
• 75–100% of all children needing preventive chemotherapy worldwide have been treated

 

2015: Number of People Treated

In 2015, over 1 billion individuals received preventive chemotherapy for STH. 
• 269 million (48% coverage) preschool-aged children 
• 571 million (63% coverage) school-aged children
• 250 million women of childbearing age
Treatment coverage of school-age children increased from 45% in 2014; however, between 2014 and 2015, there was a slight decrease (51% to 48%) in coverage of preschool-age children.
 
 

FIND OUT MORE!

WHO weekly epidemiological record: number of people treated in 2015
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/251908/1/WER9149_50.pdf?ua=1

WHO PCT Databank
http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/preventive_chemotherapy/sth/en