ISLAMABAD - The government has announced to hold deworming drive for one day on January 31 in all government schools of federal capital aimed at saving the children from parasitic worm infection, affecting millions of children in the country every year.
The special campaign would be carried out jointly by Planning Division, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration and Capital Development Authority (CDA).
Under this campaign the children between the ages of 5 to 15 of from government schools of federal capital, National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) Schools as well as the educational institutes located in the rural areas would be given free Deworm medicine.
Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqat urged the parents to participate in the drive by bringing their children to any nearby government school in the morning hours.
He said children need these Deworming medicines to grow healthier and learn better in schools as over 570,000 school age children in ICT are in need of regular Deworming.
Regular treatment contributes to good health and nutrition for children of school age, which in turn leads to increased enrollment and attendance also reduced class repetition and better educational attainment, he added.
Dr Arsalan a private pediatrics physician said children were most vulnerable to worm infections, as their immune system was not yet fully developed, untreated worm infections prevent children’s healthy growth, cause poor nutrition and reduce their capacity to concentrate and learn.
He said the infection can be caused when you ingest a worm, its larvae or even its eggs, “You can get the infection by drinking contaminated water, uncooked meal, infected soil and faeces of humans and animals”, he added.
“A single dose of Deworming treatment drastically reduces the number of worms in each child”, he concluded.