Flip-Flops and Holograms for Disrupting Helminth Transmission

Tony Goldberg of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the U.S. will promote the use of flip-flop-style sandals to disrupt the transmission of soil-borne helminths in rural Uganda. Soil-transmitted helminth infections are one of the most common infections worldwide. Their transmission can be disrupted by wearing sandals, but convincing people to wear them has proven challenging. In consultation with the local community, he will design a hologram, which is cheap and mass producible, to stick on the sandals to symbolize the health benefits of wearing them and thereby promote their consistent use. Goldberg will test the ability of the hologram to reduce soil-transmitted helminth infection rates in selected households in Western Uganda.