Mangaluru/Udupi: District health and family welfare department will administer deworming tablets to 5,11,049 children in Dakshina Kannada, and 2,72,477 children in Udupi district. The DHOs of two districts have appealed to people to help improve children’s health and assist them in achieving better concentration in their studies by ensuring they are given deworming tablets.Since worms are commonly found in children aged 1 to 19 years, national deworming day is being observed on Aug 10 for their eradication. On day, Albendazole tablets will be distributed free of cost to all children aged 1 to 19 in the districts.Albendazole tablets will be administered in schools after lunch in the presence of school teachers, and in anganwadis in the presence of anganwadi workers. Intestinal worm infestation causes anemia and nutritional deficiency, which can impair physical and intellectual development. Giving Albendazole tablets destroys intestinal worms.Under this programme, tablets are being distributed in their respective schools/colleges to students of govt, aided, and private schools, anganwadis, residential schools, ITIs, technical institutes, nursing colleges, degree colleges, and engineering colleges.Children aged 1 to 2 years are given half a tablet, while those aged 2 to 19 years are given a whole tablet. Training has been provided to ensure that young children take the tablet either crushed with water or by chewing/sucking it. Children missed on Aug 10, will be given the tablets on the Mop-up day on Aug 17. Unwell children will be given the Albendazole tablet after they recover. If taking any other medication, Albendazole should be taken after consulting a doctor. The DCs and the DHOs of two districts have stated in a press release that out-of-school children aged 1 to 19 will be listed through Ashaworkers, brought to the Anganwadi, and administered the tablet.
