Soil-transmitted helminths

They are transmitted by eggs present in human faeces which in turn contaminate soil in areas where sanitation is poor. At least 120 countries across the tropics and subtropics are endemic and at least 1.3 billion people were estimated to be infected with at least one STH species in 2010.

Planning and implementing STH treatment programmes with limited resources means targeting areas of highest infection prevalence. Maps of worm distribution that can be used by control programme staff are therefore invaluable. Here, we provide maps highlighting the location of STH surveys, often based on data that were previously unpublished or only accessible from private and otherwise restricted sources. We also provide predictive risk maps of the distribution of STH. Guided by these predictive maps are control planning maps, which identify districts requiring mass treatment based on WHO treatment recommendations.