Deworming campaign launched

Sindh Health Secretary Zahid Ali Abbasi on Monday launched the Sindh Deworming Initiative’s first mass deworming campaign at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) and urged the parents to get their children have the deworming medicine which would rid their children of intestinal worms and help them grow both mentally and physically.

“I would urge parents to get their children have deworming medicine, which have been acquired from the World Health Organization. These worms are a major cause of anaemia as well as mental and physical growth,” Abbasi said while talking to newsmen after launching the campaign.

The school-based deworming programme is aimed at treating over 500,000 school-age children in 2,600 selected government and private schools, as well as in 145 health facilities across the six districts of Karachi on January 29, 2020.

All children enrolled in classes 1-10 will be encouraged to access treatment that will be provided free of charge. The health secretary remarked that the annual mass deworming was very important for our children as it would ensure their improved physical and cognitive growth, resistance to other infections and improved school performance.

Moreover, mass deworming would also help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the government of Pakistan’s top health priorities, which include defeating malnutrition and anaemia, he added.

Abbasi stated that it was the mandate of the health department to help the people of Pakistan maintain and improve their health and make the population the healthiest in the region. Since the children account for one-third of Pakistan’s population, the school-based deworming programme in Pakistan and Sindh was a welcome event, as this would benefit society as a whole, he remarked.

Speaking on the arrangements for dealing with the threat of coronavirus, he said the Sindh government was fully alert but so far not even a suspected case with symptoms of the disease had been reported. He added that the Sindh health department had purchased thousands of doses of anti-rabies vaccine, which would be available in the next few weeks. “Deworming is a quick, easy and safe measure to better the health and future of our children!” said Additional Commissioner - II Karachi Dr Waqas.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that nearly one in four of the world’s population is infected globally with intestinal worms, also known as soil-transmitted helminths, with over 835 million children in need of treatment. These infections result from poor sanitation and hygiene conditions and tend to have the highest prevalence in school-age children. A national survey conducted in 2016 found that approximately 17 million school-age children across Pakistan, including approximately 4.6 million children in Sindh, are in need of regular deworming.

Deworming day is set to be conducted on January 29, 2020, for the children enrolled in classes 1 – 10 and out-of-school children between ages five and 14. A deworming week will also commence from January 30, 2020, to February 7, 2020 in selected public health facilities across Karachi to ensure wider access.

The school-based deworming programme is coordinated and led by the Sindh health ministry and implemented in partnership with the school education secretary and the Commissioner Office. The programme is funded by Dubai Cares, part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, and others.