For the first time 7.8 crore children in private schools will be covered under the one-day programme
In a bid to manage instances of adverse drug reactions that may be caused by deworming tablets administered to kids on National Deworming Day on Friday, the Union Health Ministry has established over 210 Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Centres (AMCs) across the country.
"Each year, news of kids falling ill after having the deworming tablet is reported. This year we have looped in the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) to monitor and manage adverse events," said Dr Ajay Khera, Deputy Commissioner, Child Health and Immunisation, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
"In case of any adverse effect, states are instructed to contact the nearest AMC," he said.
Also, for the time 7.8 crore children in private schools across the country will be part of the Deworming Day. The overall target this year is to cover 34 crore children. About 4.3 crore out-of-school children will be covered through Anganwadi workers and ASHAs.
The MoHFW has also developed a National Deworming Day app to facilitate quick and easier data collection. The auto-validation of data will also help reduce the probability of reporting errors.
"NDD is being implemented through combined efforts of Department of School Education and Literacy under Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Ministry of Women and Child Development, and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation," said CK Mishra, Secretary, Union Health Ministry.
Infections due to Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH) or worms cause morbidity by adversely affecting nutritional status; impairing cognitive processes and causing complications that may require surgical intervention. The association of worms' infestation with school performance and absenteeism is also noted.
As per World Health Organisation, STH, or worms infection is considered a public health problem when the prevalence of any of the three worms is more than 10 per cent after two to three years of deworming. To eliminate the public health problem, WHO advises mass administration of albendazole tablets.
"Albendazole is very safe drug. It's been in use for decades by millions around the world with no or minimal side effects. It's chewable and kids like it. As per studies, there is a probability of 1-2 per cent of adverse events during the deworming campaign. Side effects such as nausea and vomiting can manifest in the children with high worm load," said Dr Khera.
WHO, under its free drug donation programme, has supplied around 18 crore albendazole tablets to the government. These tablets have been supplied to 17 states and UTs facing procurement challenges. Remaining states have procured drugs through the funding under Programme Implementation Plan (PIP) of National Health Mission.
National Deworming Day was first observed in February 2015, and 8.9 crore children were administered the tablet across 11 states and UTs on a single day. Building on this success, the programme was scaled up to all 36 states and union territories in 2016, and over 17.9 crore children were dewormed.
No more worms
In one of India's largest single-day public health initiatives, an estimated 34 crore children in the age group of 1-19 years, will be administered deworming tablets today to reduce worm infestation that can stifle physical and intellectual growth.
India has the highest burden of worm infections in the world, with the WHO estimating in 2014 that over 22 crore Indian children aged between one and 14 years are at risk
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