CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — As monsoon rains persist across the region, the Department of Health Central Luzon Center for Health Development (DoH CLCHD) sounded the alarm Saturday over a lesser-known but pervasive threat: soil-transmitted helminths (STH), parasitic worms that infect children exposed to contaminated floodwaters.

While leptospirosis often dominates headlines during rainy seasons, health officials stressed that STH infections — caused by roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms — pose a long-term developmental crisis for children.

“Children who wade in floods don’t just get skin infections — this leads to malnutrition and stunted physical and mental growth,” regional director Corazon Flores said.

STH spreads through floodwaters contaminated with human or animal feces. Children playing barefoot in mud, eating with unwashed hands, or drinking unsafe water risk ingesting parasite eggs. Infections cause severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal prolapse and chronic weakness. Left untreated, STH may lead to irreversible cognitive delays and stunted growth.

DoH data reveals a critical gap in prevention: Only 57 percent of children aged 1-4 received free deworming tablets in 2024, leaving thousands unprotected.

“Even though deworming is free, many families don’t do it yearly,” Flores added.

The department urged communities to adopt the W.O.R.M.S Strategy:

1. Wash hands with soap before eating; 2. Open defecation-free zones to reduce fecal contamination; 3. Regular deworming every 6 months for children; 4. Maintain clean homes and flood-free drainage systems; 5. Seek early treatment if symptoms arise.

Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread through rat urine-contaminated water, often overshadows STH in public awareness. However, DoH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire urged the public not to overlook the silent, long-term harm of intestinal worms.

The DoH advised residents to keep children indoors during floods. If wading is unavoidable, washing with soap immediately after exposure and wearing boots can significantly reduce STH transmission.