Helminth control programmes based on preventive chemotherapy against soiltransmitted helminthiases and schistosomiasis are continuing to scale up. In 2021, the global coverage of preventive chemotherapy reached 62.2% for soil-transmitted helminthiases and 40.3% for schistosomiasis; more than 650 million individuals were treated with albendazole and mebendazole for soil-transmitted helminthiases and with praziquantel for schistosomiasis.
While much progress has been made on achieving the Millenium Development Goals over the last decade, the number and complexity of global health challenges has persisted.