2.6 Lakh Children to be Covered under Deworming Programme

Our Correspondent

Bongaigaon: Altogether 2,61,891 children aged between 1-19 years will be given deworming medicines in Bongaigaon district on the occasion of National Deworming Day.

In a bid to tackle the countrywide public health threat of intestinal worm infections in children and related morbidity, Bongaigaon conducted the National Deworming Day on Tuesday, as mandated by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. As part of the NDD, all the children from age group 1 to 19 years will be dewormed with Albendazole tablets.

The programme was launched at the district-level by Bongaigaon Additional Deputy Commissioner (Health) Dhrubajyoti Das at Bongaigaon Vidyapeeth High School under Bongaigaon BPHC.

In his address, the ADC allayed the fears in the minds of people about the Albendazole tablets, terming them as safe as per WHO, and urged people to deworm their wards for their overall mental and physical development, including cognitive development. He also stressed maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in and around the house.

CM and HO (CD) Dr Bhupen Baishya, DSWO Hemi Bora, other dignitaries and National Health Mission staff were also present at the function.

The drive will be conducted by District Health Society in association with National Health Mission. A mop-up round will be carried out on September 3 to cover the remaining children. For this, 1,000 Anganwadi centres and 1,498 schools have been selected. In Anganwadi centres, Anganwadi workers and ANM nurses will administer the doses while specially trained teachers will administer the medicine in schools. Children of all government and private schools, besides school drop-outs and rag pickers, will also be covered in this drive.

The National Deworming Day is a single fixed-day approach to treating intestinal worm infections in all children aged 1- 19 years, and is held on February and August each year. It has emerged as the world largest public health campaign for treatment of intestinal parasitic worms in the world. Since 2016, NDD is being observed throughout the country.

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