Infections with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are one of the most common neglected tropical diseases globally and drive poor childhood development, which is a cycle within low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The infection is caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and the hookworms (Necator americanus, Ancylostoma duodenale) and disproportionately affects school-age children and adolescents in the impoverished areas where water, sanitation, and hygiene are inadequate. This review is an integration to understand the association between STH infection and 4 key domains of childhood development: nutrition status, anemia, cognitive function and effect of school-based deworming, a public health intervention. At the global level, 37.16% of school-age children in LMICs are infected with STH, and the highest prevalence can be found in the Western Pacific (50.41%) and in Africa (37.10%). Chronic STH infection causes damage to nutritional status by inducing intestinal blood loss, malabsorption of nutrients and anorexia, directly contributing to stunting and underweight. In addition, hookworm infection worsens iron deficiency anemia, which is closely associated with cognitive development problems and lower academic attainment. Preventive chemotherapy, which is deworming for STH at school, is the main method for controlling STH at the global level and the World Health Organization recommends that children be dewormed annually or biannually depending on endemicity. Recent programmatic evaluations indicate that school-based deworming can decrease STH prevalence, improve nutritional markers, and can have long-term cognitive and economic impacts. Despite this, there are still barriers to be addressed: suboptimal deworming coverage in many areas, high risk of reinfection following deworming, low efficacy against Trichuris and Strongyloides, and a limited number of large-scale RCTs that provide evidence of benefit with regards to hemoglobin concentrations and cognitive function. The current review summarizes epidemiological data from the different regions, explains how STH is related to poor developmental outcomes, and summarizes the effectiveness of school-based deworming. It also identifies key areas of uncertainty that require research such as long-term cohort studies, identifiable and standardized integrated deworming protocols, and scalable protocols to help ensure the sustainability of deworming benefits.

Objective: To evaluate whether combining Bayesian spatial modelling with landscape-ecological analysis could identify high-risk townships and account for their spatial clustering in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China.

Methods: In this retrospective study, patients with clinically confirmed venomous snakebite treated at a single provincial tertiary referral centre in Fuzhou between January 2021 and December 2025 were included in descriptive demographic, temporal, and taxonomic analyses. In addition, patients with concordant township-level residence and bite location were included in spatial analyses. Five-year cumulative incidence per 100 000 population was calculated for each of 141 townships. A Besag-York-Mollié 2 (BYM2) model was used to obtain smoothed relative risks, and Global Moran's I and Getis-Ord Gi* statistics assessed spatial clustering and hotspots. Associations between landscape metrics and township-level case counts were examined using negative binomial regression with log population included as an offset.

Results: A total of 741 patients were eligible for this retrospective analysis, and 560 of them were included in spatial analyses. Viperidae accounted for 589 of 741 cases (79.49%); patients aged 40-79 years accounted for 85.02% of cases, with a modest male predominance (1.28:1). Bayesian-smoothed incidence showed significant spatial clustering (Moran's I=0.322, P=0.001), and Getis-Ord Gi* analysis identified 13 hotspot townships, with smoothed relative risks ranging from 3.40 to 22.16. Forest connectivity (COHESION IRR=3.37, 95% CI 1.72-6.59) was positively, and forest patch isolation (ENN_MN IRR=0.59, 95% CI 0.49-0.72) inversely, associated with incidence; cropland shape complexity (LSI IRR=1.48, 95% CI 1.22-1.80) was also positively associated. These landscape covariates accounted for the spatial structure identified by BYM2, with no significant residual autocorrelation in model residuals (Moran's I=-0.110, P=0.968).

Conclusions: Landscape configuration, particularly forest connectivity and cropland edge complexity, is statistically associated with the spatial distribution of snakebite risk in Fuzhou and appears statistically sufficient to account for the clustering identified by Bayesian spatial smoothing. These findings, while ecological and correlational rather than causal, offer a replicable framework for prioritising township-level snakebite prevention resources.

Objective: To evaluate the real-world effectiveness of sofosbuvir plus ravidasvir (SOF/RDV) for chronic hepatitis C in Malaysia.

Methods: This is a national registry-based observational cohort study using programme data from public hospitals and primary care clinics. Adults with confirmed active hepatitis C virus infection who received SOF/RDV from 2018 to 2024 were included. Patients without cirrhosis received 12 weeks of therapy and those with compensated cirrhosis received 24 weeks. Sustained virological response at 12 weeks was assessed using hepatitis C virus RNA or core antigen testing. Variables were summarised using frequencies, percentages, and medians with interquartile ranges. Assessed variables included demographic characteristics, injection-drug-use history, HIV co-infection, cirrhosis, treatment duration, treatment setting, treatment status, and sustained virological response 12 weeks after treatment (SVR12). Group comparisons used Chi-square, Fisher's exact, or Mann-Whitney U tests. Multivariable logistic regression assessed factors associated with failure to achieve SVR12.

Results: A total of 1 143 patients were included. Their median age was 48 years (IQR 41.0–56.5), 1 055 (92.3%) were male, 815 (71.3%) were people who inject drugs, and 49 (4.3%) had HIV co-infection. SVR12 testing was available for 504 patients (44.1%); 469/504 achieved SVR12 (93.1%). SVR12 was achieved by 336/358 people who inject drugs (PWID) (93.9%, 95% CI 90.9%-95.9%) and 133/146 non-PWID (91.1%, 95% CI 85.4%-94.7%). The exploratory multivariable model did not identify statistically significant predictors, but precision was limited by the small number of failures.

Conclusions: Among the 44.1% of treated patients with available post-treatment virological testing, SOF/RDV was associated with a high SVR12 rate. Substantial incomplete outcome ascertainment prevents a definitive estimate of programme-wide effectiveness and limits generalisability to the full treated population. Strengthening treatment-cascade documentation and post-treatment testing is necessary for reliable monitoring of cure and elimination progress.

Objective: To identify factors associated with preventive behaviour against opisthorchiasis among adults in a rural endemic community in northeastern Thailand.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Muang Sri Kai Subdistrict, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand, during September to October 2023 and selected adults using simple random sampling. We collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, previous stool examination, and preventive behaviour using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Associations were analyzed using Pearson’s Chi-square or exact tests, as appropriate, and binary logistic regression, with adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals.

Results: The analysis included 339 adults. The mean age of participants was (45.4±8.8) years, and 64.0% were female. A previous stool examination was reported by 81.4% of participants, and 81.1% reported consuming raw food. Overall, 296 participants (87.3%) demonstrated adequate preventive behavior. Previous stool examination (aOR 2.82, 95% CI 1.35-5.89), higher knowledge score (aOR 1.27 per point, 95% CI 1.13-1.43), and more favorable attitude score (aOR 2.76 per point, 95% CI 1.51-5.02) were associated with increased odds of adequate preventive behavior.

Conclusions: Knowledge, attitudes, and previous stool examination were associated with adequate preventive behavior. The cross-sectional design limits causal inference, and previous screening may indicate broader engagement with health services. Future prospective studies should assess integrated screening and culturally appropriate preventive education.