NEW DELHI: The National Deworming Day, a flagship initiative of the Government of India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, was conducted across 27 states and union territories on Wednesday. National Deworming Day is a nationwide, preschool (anganwadi) and school-based deworming programme that aims to provide all children between the ages of 1–19 years with deworming treatment.
"On this day, Albendazole 400 mg chewable tablet was administered to children in anganwadis, government, government-aided, and some private schools as well as children who are out-of-school or are unregistered inanganwadis. The mop-up day, on August 17, will be conducted to reach children who did not get dewormed on deworming day due to sickness or absenteeism," said Priya Jha, country director, Evidence Action.
Given the health and educational impact that worm infections can have on children, parents were encouraged to send their children to schools andanganwadisand take the deworming tablet on.
"Based on WHO guidelines the Government of India has mandated that 27 states and Union Territories conduct a second round of deworming as per prevalence rates. School-based mass deworming program is safe, cost-effective, and can reach millions of children quickly. Deworming has been shown to reduce absenteeism in schools; improve health, nutritional, and learning outcomes; and increase the likelihood of higher-wage jobs later in life," said Jha.
Side effects are mild and can include nausea, vomiting, and dizziness especially in children with high worm loads.
The first National Deworming day was conducted in 2015 in 11 states, treating 89 million children.This year, 33 states took part in the February 2016 roundwhen179 million children were dewormed.
India has the highest burden of parasitic worms in the world. Parasitic worms in children interfere with nutrient uptake, and can contribute to anemia, malnourishment, and impaired mental and physical development. According to the 2012 report ‘Children in India’, published by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, Government of India, 48% of children under the age of 5 years are stunted and 19.8% are wasted, indicating that half of the country’s children are malnourished.