DeWorm3: Demonstrating the feasibility of STH elimination

In response to the overwhelming burden of Soil-Transmitted Helminth (STH) and recent efforts to achieve London Declaration goals, the Natural History Museum (NHM), with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has launched DeWorm3 to demonstrate the feasibility of using integrated platforms to interrupt transmission of STH infections.    To this end, DeWorm3’s main goal is to establish the evidence necessary for informing global implementation guidelines in countries aiming to eliminate STH. This will entail a series of community trials to determine the feasibility of interrupting transmission of STH and, if successful, to develop an operational implementation plan to scale up the intervention.

   Specific DeWorm3 project objectives include;  

• demonstrate the feasibility of eliminating STHs using existing and intensified mass drug administration (MDA) strategies, specifically by leveraging existing lymphatic filariasis elimination platforms  
• inform the guidelines, policies, and operational plans needed to successfully achieve STH elimination  
• link qualitative and operational studies of the acceptability and feasibility of different strategies to ongoing field trials, guiding future implementation and scale-up plans    

Community trials will be rolled out across Africa and Asia, with Benin, Malawi and India intended as first wave countries.

These rigorous scientific trials will be undertaken in partnership with respective governments and research institutes, and supported by a committee of global experts. Commencement of the trials is expected in early 2017 where research activities will be integrated into existing STH programmes, implemented by national governments and partners. These first trials will continue until 2022.    

The findings of DeWorm3 will feed back to international organizations such as the World Health Organization, and will guide and inspire other global funders (including BMGF, DfID, USAID and CIFF) in informing subsequent funding and resource allocation. Most importantly it will benefit those suffering from the diseases, national governments with STH control programmes and the wider public in giving better understanding of how evidence-based science lies at the heart of global health and well-being.    Should you require any additional information or have specific queries, please send an email to deworm3 [at] nhm [dot] ac [dot] uk.