49% of children below 14 years suffering from STH infections in Karnataka

 BENGALURU: Ever since 2016, as the Union health ministry had launched a National Deworming Day as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, 22.7 crore children have been covered under the programme. In India the Intestinal worms or soil transmitted helminth (STH) infections affect over 64 per cent of the kids who are below the age of 14.

The WHO had suggested to administer deworming drug Albendazole (chewable tablet) to school going children twice a year, as a solution. If it's ignored and left untreated, the infection can lead to a lack of nutrition and anemia.

In Karnataka, 49 per cent of children who are under the age of 14 are suffering from STH-related infections, said Dr Veena V, deputy director, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), state health and family welfare department. “In Karnataka, we have covered, 1.6 crore children under the National Deworming Day campaign since 2015. The biggest challenge is to convince the authorities at private unaided schools. The principals hesitate to administer the tablet to kids on school premises. They are very much aware of the drug’s importance and why we conduct NDD twice a year: in February and August. But there is resistance. We are in talks with school associations,” said Dr Veena.

Shashikumar D, the general secretary, Associated Managements of Private Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) said that, “We have been advising our member schools to support the government in this initiative but some are yet to come on board. Many families give deworming medicines to kids in consultation with pediatricians. They (schools) don’t want to give children another dose fearing it may be more than required. However, it’s known that taking deworming drugs more than twice a year is not harmful. Such gaps need to be filled.”