Feed the children, not the parasites--an essential part of primary health care in South Africa.

The literature on helminth infections in South Africa for the period 1965-93 is mostly retrospective descriptive and fragmented. No prospective organized national plan was developed or applied. The competition between host and parasites for nutrients can seriously retard the mental and physical development and performance of children. Need therefore exists to provide regular systematic surveillance of such infection. The infection of South African children by worms has been confirmed repeatedly but community-based solutions were neither suggested nor found before 1993 and the only current systematic and targeted measurement of the prevalences of helminth infections is in KwaZulu-Natal. This study is the basis for a deworming programming for that province and for a Department of Health national policy framework for parasite control. Treatment at the national level must be with broad-spectrum anthelmintics at short intervals. It makes no sense to use inferior anthelmintics.