Deworming children in sub-Saharan Africa produces long-term benefits

The Daily Californian covers the deworming project led by Michael Walker and CEGA faculty co-director Ted Miguel, discussing the long term benefits of the study.

“A study led by UC Berkeley researchers and published Aug. 3 found that deworming children in sub-Saharan Africa produces long-term benefits in adulthood.

Co-author and postdoctoral scholar at the campus Center for Effective Global Action Michael Walker said the study focused on children in Kenya over a period of 20 years. Researchers found that children who received more deworming treatment earned an hourly wage 13% higher than those who received less deworming treatment, and they were more likely as adults to work in nonagricultural fields and live in urban areas.

‘We’ve been working for a long time trying to understand the connection between health and economic development,’ said lead author and campus economics professor Edward Miguel. ‘We found that the children of the study from 20-something years ago, who benefited from a few years of additional health assistance, had higher incomes and higher living standards as adults.’

The study implies the economic return in instituting more deworming programs could be large and cost-effective, as deworming costs less than $1 per child per year, according to Miguel. He added that the study found these programs yield long-term benefits and should be an investment priority.”

Source: Deworming children in sub-Saharan Africa produces long-term benefits