Deworming activity at CDA Model School

Islamabad: As part of the federal government’s mass drive to prevent and eliminate parasitic infections, a de-worming day was observed at the CDA Model School here to target the children aged 5-17 years.

The school teachers trained by the health department administered the de-worming medicine to the children as according to a survey, around 570,000 children in ICT area were at risk of soil-transmitted helminthes (STH) infections.

According to Planning Commission, in certain areas including the federal capital, this prevalence was as high as more than 50 per cent which affected children’s health potentially causing anaemia, malnourishment, and impairment of physical and intellectual development.

At the CDA Model School, hundreds of the children from inside the school and outside were given chewable de-worming tablets by trained teachers after conducting a thorough exercise of awareness among the parents. In their lectures, the school teachers also sensitized the students about the STH and the importance of de-worming and changes in lifestyle required for protection.

The students were told that the parasites could easily be transmitted by contaminated hands or eating the unclean foods.