ABSTRACT
Mass deworming of populations involving the distribution of medicines free of charge has become a significant global health priority, particularly in Africa. Huge projects have been implemented, with many involving children. These projects raise serious ethical and political concerns. On the one hand, distributing millions of free tablets has been hailed as a huge achievement, and the Nobel Prize was recently awarded to one of its key promoters. On the other hand, there is solid evidence that it actually has no positive effects and is likely to have negative consequences. This chapter explains how the situation has come about and comments on how such public health policies are implemented and maintained, despite evidence about failure.
