All children and youngsters under the 1-19 age group in Manipur will be administered albendazole tablets on April 30 as part of National Deworming Day in order to eliminate parasitic worms or soil-transmitted helminths, which can interfere with nutrient uptake in children and can contribute to anemia, malnourishment, and impaired mental and physical development.
This was announced in a press conference at the Health Directorate conference hall by the state mission director of State Health Society, NHM Somorjit on Monday.
He said that deworming all children annually on a single day was taken as a policy decision in 2015, and all the children are given deworming tablets through anganwadis and schools. In Manipur, the first round of deworming in children will be conducted on Tuesday and mop-up day on May 7.
He said that those children who cannot reach schools on this day and others will be administered the tablets through Anganwadis. This year, as many as 9, 25, 124 persons come under the target group of 1-19, he mentioned. Children aged 1-2 years will be given 200 mg or half a tablet of albendazole, while those in the 2-19 year group will be given a tablet of 400 mg, he said.
He suggested that for small children, the tablet may be dissolved in water and given, while older children can chew the tablets after food/lunch. Albendazole is a commonly prescribed drug for deworming in children by all physicians, he added.
The Health Directorate has started preparing for the upcoming National Deworming Day in Manipur, with the Office of the Medical Superintendent at JNIMS Hospital Porompat, Imphal East, announcing the nomination of specialist doctors to the Adverse Event Management Team.
