More than 200 million people in the world people have schistosomiasis, a parasitic worm that lodges itself in blood vessels, causes organ damage and diminishes learning ability if left untreated. Experts say 50 million young children are at risk, mostly in Africa. An effective treatment, a pill called praziquantel, is available to adults and school-aged children but has been complicated to dose for anyone younger. A version of the drug for preschoolers is in the works, but distributing it won’t be a straight-forward task. NPR has more.
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