The National De-worming Day was launched at St. Mary’s School, Tura today where West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Ram Singh administered de-worming tablets to students.
Stressing on the overall health and growth of children, Singh said that de-worming is necessary in order to improve children’s immunity and thereby protecting them from chronic illnesses caused by worms.
Talking about sanitation and hygiene, he said that everyone needs to maintain cleanliness, wash hands, wash the vegetables properly and take up collective responsibility to follow Covid protocols at the moment.
Further, he also advised students to study their lessons regularly, help their younger siblings with their studies, to avoid smoking and drinking during their student life and work hard to be productive citizens in future.
In her keynote address, the District Maternal and Child Health Officer, Tura, Dr. Ivonne M Sangma said that the objective of the National De-worming Day is to deworm and save all children from worm infection. She also informed that this parasitic intestinal worm infestation in children has shown detrimental impact on physical growth, health condition, and cognitive development of a child and only periodic deworming can reduce the transmission of worm infections, she added. Besides the deworming tablet, proper hand washing and sanitizing has to be practiced every day especially before eating and after using toilets, etc, she said.
Stating that most of the schools are closed now due to Covid-19 pandemic in the district, she informed that all preschool and school children between the ages of 1 to 19 years would be given Albendazole tablets in Anganwadi Centres, Community Halls and also few designated schools.
