AP to deworm 1.07 cr children on March 14

Vijayawada: Health and family welfare commissioner and National Health Mission state director J Nivas said as part of the National Deworming Day which is slated for March 14 the state government is going to administer Albendazole tablets (deworming tablets) to 1.07 crore children and adolescents aged 1-19 years across the state.

In a press release here on Friday, the commissioner said National Deworming Day was a pan-India public health programme conducted under the aegis of the ministry of health and family welfare, Government of India with the support of ministry of human resource development, ministry of women and child development and related ministries.

He said that all schools (government, private), junior colleges, technical institutes and Anganwadis in the state would observe this tablets administration programme for children and students. The drive is aimed reducing anaemia by delivering de-worming treatment to all the children and adolescents in to improve their overall health, nutritional status, cognitive development, and quality of life, he added.

The health commissioner further said that de-worming with the safe and beneficial Albendazole tablet is an evidence-based, globally-accepted, and effective solution to control intestinal worm infections. "In AP, National Deworming Day (NDD) is planned on March 14 for all the children in the age group of 1-19 years in all government and private colleges, schools and Anganwadi centres.

The children who cannot be dewormed on NDD due to absenteeism or sickness will be dewormed on mop-up day on March 18. As many as 84.25 lakh school and junior college students, 23.65 Anganwadi children, 70,000 out of school children would be targeted with deworming tablets. For this, the state has trained 54,844 teachers and 55,607 Anganwadi workers, 15,003 ANMs wile 41,377 ASHAs were identified to supervise the programme. Side effects from consuming Albendazole are rare and mild. Comprehensive adverse event protocols have been put in place and all the officials of stakeholder departments have been trained, commissioner Nivas stated.