Cross River govt. launches deworming exercise in 14 LGAs

From Ene Ene, Calabar

Cross River State Government through the Ministry of Health’s Neglected Tropical Disease Unit, NTD, has launched deworming exercise in 14 local government areas of the state.

The Nations News Nigeria reports that the deworming exercise was done in collaboration with a non Governmental organization, NGO, Evidence Action.

The annual comprehensive state-wide, school-based deworming exercise is targeted at children from 4 to 13 years to treat against soil-transmitted helminthiasis, STH, and Schistosomiasis that are particularly common in children.

The deworming exercise according to the official of the ministry of health, Mrs Veronica Mark, said that more than 800,000 thousand school children from 14 local government areas will be dewormed in this year’s exercise as against the 600,000 children that were dewormed last year.

Their partners, Evidence Action said that the expected large figure, is as a result of the massive sensitization in the state and the involvement of so many stakeholders and the acceptability, it has received.

The representative of the group, Toochi Ohaji, said in Nigeria, over 48 million school-age children require treatment for STH infection and 16.6 million school-age children require treatment for schistosomiasis.

The NTD coordinator, Cross River State ministry of health, Mrs Veronica Mark, disclosed further that these infections, known as intestinal worm infections result from poor sanitation and hygiene conditions are tend to have the highest prevalence in school-age children.

She added further that the infections can lead to anemia, malnourishment, and impaired mental and physical development can ultimately affect children’s educational outcomes and income as adults if left untreated.

Mrs. Mark, stressed that these Worms disproportionately affect the poor, who are less able to afford the costs of diagnosis and treatment. “This will potentially increase the inequality gap that currently exists and derail the country’s development goals of equitable access to health and education” she noted.

The senior Manager, Evidence Action, Mr. Toochi Ohaji, said since 2016 in Nigeria, the Organization has been providing technical assistance to the Federal and Cross River State Government on implementing school-based deworming for soil transmitted helminthiasis and schistosomiasis in the state, delivering treatment to over 600 thousand children in both public and private schools annually.