2.5 lakh school kids get deworming tablets

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, February 10

Over 2.5 lakh schoolchildren were administered Albendazole tablets in the district today on the occasion of the National Deworming Day.

Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Sharandeep Kaur Brar launched the programme by administering tablets to girls at Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Begu.

She spoke about the importance of deworming and urged the parents and teachers to give tablets to all children for their general health.

The National Deworming Day is observed on February 10 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Its main objective is to deworm children between one and 19 years of age at schools and anganwadi centres.

“Worm infections can cause anemia, malnourishment, impaired mental and physical development and cause a serious threat to children’s health, education, and productivity,” she said.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India has the highest Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH) in the world with 220 million children aged between one and 14 years of age estimated to be at a risk of worm infections.

The STH is a type of helminth infection (helminthiasis) caused by different species of roundworms. It is caused specifically by those worms which are transmitted through soil contaminated with faecal matter and are therefore called soil-transmitted helminths.

Speaker inaugurates event

Yamunanagar: Assembly Speaker Kanwar Pal Gurjar inaugurated the National Deworming Day at Mukand Lal Senior Secondary School here.

Civil Surgeon Dr Vijay Garg said their target was to cover 2,69,854 school-going children under the programme and the Health Department had deputed 188 health and ASHA workers for the distribution of tablets.

Campaign launched in Kaithal

Kaithal: Deputy Commissioner Nikhil Gajraj launched a nationwide deworming campaign in the district today.

He distributed Albendazole tablets to schoolchildren. He said 2.37 lakh children between six and 19 years of age in Kaithal district would be administered deworming tablets.