National Deworming Day 2023 observed on February 10th. This program organized in all the states and Union territories of India.
Many efforts currently programmed by the Government of India like Polio eradication, National Iron plus for combating anaemia, screening of children under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakarm and improvement of health and sanitation through Swachha Bharat Abhiyan.
Now there is another key area that should addressed, and that is the risk of parasitic intestinal worm infestation in children. Making our children completely intestinal worm-free is going to be a slow process.
What is the main Theme of National Deworming Day?
A National Deworming Day theme observed as a part of this program. This method of giving medicine at different times will help children slow down the transmission of Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH), thereby improving nutrition levels and reducing anaemia in children.
The following the process to followed by any school the Government directs. School Education now has to go for Deworming, and next, a request needs to extend support to Evidence Action / for process monitoring and coverage validation of National Deworming Day.
An enclosing copy of the reference is given to the Regional Joint Director of School Education, and all the District Educational Officers in the state are requested to extend their cooperation to Health & Family Welfare and Mission Director to Evidence Action for process monitoring and coverage validation of National Deworming Day.
Request to extend support to Evidence Action/ for process monitoring and coverage validation of National Deworming Day. The state will observe the National Deworming Day (NDD) on August 10th, followed by a mop-up day annually, which can be any day of the next week.
How do the schools help the children in this National Deworming Day?
A chewable tablet called Albendazole drug 400mg will given to all the children in schools and Anganwadi under this huge drug administration program.
An expertise agency organized to ensure the program’s quality and should have evidence of Action to the services of monitoring activities.
There will be around 135 monitors, each of whom will visit one school on each National Deworming Day& Mop-up. An orientation program organized to monitor activities along with detailed programmatic briefings to the officers.
These monitors help to observe the process of deworming in the school and will go through the attendance register, school reporting forms and, physically validate the availability of drugs IEC materials, interview the headmaster/ teachers and three or more students in each school.
The final report on findings from the process, which recorded and the monitoring, willshared with the State Government. In this process, it is requested to spread support to those monitors that Evidence Action hires to facilitate access of schools to independent monitors to carry out the above activities in randomly selected schools.
For this program, all the teachers and Anganwadi workers provided training, and the resource material given.
National Deworming Day Guidelines are as follows:
The Key components to implement a successful NDD include drug procurement and management, adverse event management systems, monitoring and supervision plan, and recording and reporting processes.
This process or plan has put into place to ensure that these components organized, streamlined and effective.
These strategies include :
- Steering Committee Meetings at States and Districts before NDD.
- A robust integrated distribution of drugs, IEC, and training handouts during training at block, sector, and project levels to ensure all material for the program made available on time.
- Community awareness and mobilization, with specific efforts towards ASHA engagement to include out-of-school children in the program.
- Adverse Event Management protocols that provide clear instructions on managing adverse events.
- Monitoring and reporting cascade to ensure that NDD implemented as planned and to assess whether the desired results achieved.
The oral Albendazole dosage is as follows:
- For adults weighing 60kg and more-Dose is based on body weight, and the doctor must take advice. The dose is usually 400 milligrams (mg)
- 2 times daily, taken with meals for 28 days (1 cycle). This followed by not having albendazole for 14 days, for three cycles.
- For adults weighing less than 60 kg, the dose is usually 15 mg per kg of body weight per day, divided into two doses, taken with meals for 28 days. The dose is 800 mg per day usually.
- For children, advice must taken by the doctor.
The following are the National Deworming Day Quotes:
(1) Depression can be a form of self-hatred. We don’t feel comfortable in our skin.
(2)“Krimi se chhutkara, sehatmand bhavishya hamara”.
National Deworming Day observed to spread awareness about the importance of deworming in preschool and schools for ages 1 to 19 years.
Deworming helps increase nutrient uptake, manage infections like anaemia, and loosen the bowels. When infected with worms, they should dewormed periodically; adults and children over 3years old should dewormed 2 to 3 times a year.
What are the Common Signs of Worms?
Common signs of worms include weight loss, wetting the bed, and irritated skin around the anus. Worms like hookworm, roundworm, whipworm etc., have for centuries, and if they not dewormed, they lay eggs in human intestines.
When excreted, the worms and their eggs spread to others. When infected, the worms cause intestinal blood loss leading to iron deficiency and malnutrition — and loss of energy and motivation.
The following are the side effects of Deworming:
Deworming has some side effects like dizziness, nausea, headache and vomiting, and these all symptoms because the worms passed through the human body.
A dose of mebendazole under a doctor’s guidance will be the fastest way to kill worms. Another dosage can taken after two weeks.
According to the Minister of Health and Family Welfare. The goal is to deworm all preschool and school-age children to achieve nutritional status and have better access to education.
