LONDON, Sep 18, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- British and U.S. scientists say nearly
7 million pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa are infected with hookworms and,
therefore, are at risk of anemia.
Hookworms are parasitic worms that live in the intestine and can cause a lower
than normal number of red blood cells.
In a systematic search of medical databases, reference lists and unpublished
data, the scientists were able to compare levels of hemoglobin -- the
oxygen-carrying part of red blood cells -- according to the intensity of
hookworm infection among the women studied. They found increasing intensity of
infection was associated with lower levels of hemoglobin.
"Most of the studies showed hookworm was associated with maternal anemia, and
that there are clear benefits of de-worming for both maternal and child health"
said Simon Brooker of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. "In many
developing countries it is policy that pregnant women receive de-worming
treatment, but in practice coverage rates are often unacceptably low."
The study by Brooker, Peter Hotez of George Washington University and Donald
Bundy of The World Bank, appears in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical
Diseases.
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Copyright 2008 by United Press International