Soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Europe and Central Asia: an update on the epidemiology and control efforts

Soil-transmitted helminth infections are among the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases. Infections are caused by a group of parasitic worms transmitted via soil contaminated with feces from infected individuals. Highest Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura prevalences are usually found among children while hookworm prevalence increases with age. Clinical presentations range from mild to severe, and while most infected individuals do not realize their status, infections can be fatal. Soil-transmitted helminth endemicity is strongly associated with poverty, limited access to safe water, and poor hygiene and sanita tion practices. Once common throughout Europe and Central Asia, improvements in living conditions, treatment availability, and targeted control and health education programs led to their near elimination in Western Europe. Today soil-transmitted helminths are found primarily among marginalized populations and in poorer coun tries of Central Asia and Eastern Europe and among marginalized populations in central Europe, where environmental and socioeconomic conditions facilitate trans mission. This chapter provides an overview of the current status of soil-transmitted helminth infections in Europe and Central Asia with a focus on countries where transmission is ongoing and these parasites remains a public health problem.