Three crore UP children to receive deworming dose in mop-up drive tomorrow

As part of National Deworming Day, 6.69 crore children in Uttar Pradesh have been administered the anti-worm medicine Albendazole.

Now, approximately three crore children aged 1 to 19 years will be administered the medicine in a mop-up round on Friday. Experts have appealed to parents to ensure that no child is left out.

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Dr. Satish Kumar Gautam, General Manager of the National Adolescent Health Program, stated that the target is to administer deworming medicine to a total of 9.8 crore children in the state.

Amethi district secured the first position with 99 percent coverage, while Ambedkar Nagar (94 percent), Pilibhit (92 percent), Shahjahanpur and Sambhal (91 percent), and Kushinagar (91 percent) also ranked among the top districts.

According to Dr. Piyali Bhattacharya, a senior pediatrician at SGPGI, on Thursday, children with intestinal worms can suffer from malnutrition and anemia. Albendazole helps kill the worms and expel them from the body.

Mild symptoms such as headache, dizziness, vomiting, or stomach pain may occur after taking the medication, which resolve spontaneously within a few hours. There is no need to panic.

The health department has appealed to parents to ensure their children receive deworming medication so they can remain healthy and malnutrition-free.