Current State of the Problem of Helminthiasis in Children

Abstract

The World Bank estimates that the economic cost of intestinal helminthiasis, the most common parasitic disease, is fourth in the list of costs of treating all diseases and injuries; The incidence of helminthiasis is comparable to the incidence of acute respiratory viral infections and influenza. According to the World Health Organization, about 5 billion people in the world are affected by protozoal diseases and helminthiases, i.e. the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of our planet. At the same time, according to WHO experts, helminthiases have now, to some extent, become “forgotten diseases”—there is an underestimation of their medical and social significance throughout the world. Even in endemic countries, they receive insufficient attention from both health authorities and the population.