USAID's NTD Program

Whipworm (Trichuris trichiura or Trichocephalus trichiuris)

Treatment, Prevention, and Control

Mebendazole or albendazole are currently the drugs of choice to treat adult worms. In the case of light Trichuriasis infection, successful treatment can be achieved with a single dose of 300 mg to 500 mg of mebendazole or with a single dose of 400 mg of albendazole. For heavy whipworm infection, 200 mg of mebendazole a day for three successive days or albendazole at 400 mg a day for three successive days is recommended.^1;2 In the presence of iron deficiency, comprehensive treatment should be undertaken to solve the deficiency.

As for most of soil-transmitted helminthes, prevention and control measures include:

• Availability of water for use for personal hygiene
• Sanitation and education to promote using latrines
• Education on hand washing and washing of food
• Avoiding the use of uncomposted human feces as fertilizer
• Mass chemotherapy: Modern anthelmintics such as mebendazole or albendazole administered in a single dose are safe, relatively inexpensive, and effective for several months. The association of albendazole to ivermectine or to diethylcarbamazine in community-wide drug distribution to eliminate lymphatic filariasis in many areas also will reduce the number of eggs released in the environment and, consequently, decrease the intensity and prevalence of T. trichiura infection.¹
  
  

Additional Resources

• Preventive Chemotherapy in Human Helminthiasis – October 2006 [PDF, 1.6MB]
  This WHO manual provides guidance on coordinating implementation of mass drug administration (MDA) for whipworm as well as the other NTDs targeted by MDA.

Learn more about whipworm:

• Epidemiology
• Symptoms
• Life Cycle of T. trichiura
• Diagnosis
• Back to Whipworm Overview

 

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References

1. World Health Organization: Prevention and control of schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminthiasis. Report of a WHO expert committee, WHO Technical Report Series 912. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2002.
2. WHO: Report of the WHO Informal Consultation on the Use of Praziquantel During Pregnancy/Lactation and Albendazole/Mebendazole in Children Under 24 Months. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2003.