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To prevent the spread of Ascaris as well as many other helminthes, education and chemotherapy must both play a major role. The drug treatment with Albendazole has already been covered, however, on the larger scale, education about sanitation and public works must expand. Because Ascariasis is spread through contaminated topsoil, higher levels of hygiene can stop the spread of the disease. Even better, communities can move areas of “waste” away from food and water supply chains, thereby eliminating accidental contamination of food and water.
Better infrastructure also will enable better public health control of the disease. With better infrastructure, a single dose of Albendazole can be provided to a each school child every few months, helping to reduce the amount of infected persons. If each child were educated about the disease, and grew up taking Albendazole in high-risk areas, the disease burden could be significantly reduced. The benefits here were explored in a study by the Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, which determined that helminthes infections led to decreased school attendance, which weakens economies, perpetuating the cycle of poverty.
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