Antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) from the body
Anthelmintic effect of papain on Heligmosomoides bakeri
Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths ) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host. They may also be called vermifuges (those that stun) or vermicides (those that kill). Anthelmintics are used to treat people who are infected by helminths, a condition called helminthiasis . These drugs are also used to treat infected animals, particularly small ruminants such as goats and sheep .[ 1]
Anthelmintic medication is also used in mass deworming campaigns of school-aged children in many developing countries.[ 2] [ 3] Anthelmintics are also used for mass deworming of livestock. The drugs of choice for soil-transmitted helminths are mebendazole and albendazole ;[ 4] for schistosomiasis and tapeworms it is praziquantel .[ 5]
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^ WHO (2006). Preventive chemotherapy in human helminthiasis: coordinated use of anthelminthic drugs in control interventions: a manual for health professionals and programme managers (PDF) . WHO Press, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. pp. 1–61. ISBN 9241547103 .
^ Albonico, Marco; Allen, Henrietta; Chitsulo, Lester; Engels, Dirk; Gabrielli, Albis-Francesco; Savioli, Lorenzo; Brooker, Simon (2008). "Controlling Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis in Pre-School-Age Children through Preventive Chemotherapy" . PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases . 2 (3): e126. doi :10.1371/journal.pntd.0000126 . PMC 2274864 . PMID 18365031 .
^ Taylor-Robinson, David C.; Maayan, Nicola; Donegan, Sarah; Chaplin, Marty; Garner, Paul (11 September 2019). "Public health deworming programmes for soil-transmitted helminths in children living in endemic areas" . The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews . 9 (11): CD000371. doi :10.1002/14651858.CD000371.pub7 . ISSN 1469-493X . PMC 6737502 . PMID 31508807 .
^ "Helminth control in school-age children" (PDF) . World Health Organization . 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2015 .