Reproduced from School Deworming at a Glance (World Bank, 2003).
Do...
Do make deworming an integral component of a school health program using the FRESH framework. Combine deworming with iron and other micronutrient supplements.
Do ensure that teachers and health agents work together at all stages of the program and identify their different roles.
Do help teachers understand the benefits of deworming, so that they are supportive and recognize that their investment of time in deworming is an important contribution to education.
Do ensure that local health personnel make careful plans to manage possible side effects. Improper management of side effects can ruin the future of the program.
Do make sure that treatment is provided for both intestinal worms and schistosomiasis where needed. Effective deworming requires both treatments.
Do make sure that treatment is given regularly and sustained.
Do protect children throughout their development by starting treatment early (e.g. with Early Child Development programs) and continuing treatment throughout primary school.
Do reach out to non-enrolled school aged children. This not only enhances the public health impact of your intervention, but also encourages children, especially girls, to attend school.
Don't...
Don't waste time and resources trying to examine each school or child. Deworming drugs are safe and can be given to uninfected children. No individual diagnosis, or assessment of each school is needed.
Don't exclude adolescent girls from systematic treatment. The drugs are safe, even in pregnancy.
Don't be afraid to give a single dose tablet of albendazole or mebendazole even to children of small stature. The pills are safe for children over 1 year of age, regardless of their size or weight.
Don't hesitate to use a dose pole instead of a scale to decide the appropriate dose of praziquantel. It accurately calculates the dosages for school age children and may - in the long-term - be more reliable than deteriorating scales.
Don't wait for sanitation to improve before starting deworming - regular treatment will help all children avoid the worst effects of infection.
