National De-worming Day was observed in selected districts of the State today. The programme was held under joint aegis of School Education, Woman and Child Development and Tribal Welfare departments. State level campaign was launched by Principal Secretary Health Gauri Singh by administering dose to girl students of Sarojini Naidu Girls School, Shivaji Nagar here.
At the programme girl students recited poems and proverbs in support of campaign, highlighting demerits of worming and giving message of health security and awareness. Evidence Action Washington's Global Team Representative Austin Walker was also present. Austin is technical partner in de-worming activities in Madhya Pradesh.
Objective of the campaign is to control worming in children and lack of iron in body due to it. Under the campaign, there is target to administer de-worming dose to 1.51 crore children in the state on a single day. Under National De-worming Day, children are being de-wormed and administered pills. The programme in districts is being held through government and government-aided schools, tribal ashram shalas and anganwadi centres.
Dose is being administered today at total 1.21 lakh primary, middle and higher secondary schools. Besides, pills are also being administered in 63,832 anganwadi centres. In three districts including Bhopal, Raisen and Sagar, children of private schools have also been covered under the programme.
Under the campaign, half tablet of albendazole in powdered form is administered to children from one to 2 years and children above two years upto 19 years are made to chew this 400 miligram tablet. Directives have been given to administer this pill in schools and aganwadi centres under supervision of employees.
The pill will also be administered to left-over children on Mop-up Day on February 15. On De-worming Day, arrangements of albendazole suspension tablets as well as ORS packets, domperdone tablets, dicylcomin tablets, paracetamol, CPM tablets etc have been made at schools and anganwadi centres, which will be used in case of any side effects.
Bhopal, Raisen, Hoshangabad, Harda, Betul, Sehore, Vidisha, Rajgarh, Indore, Jhabua, Barwani, Burhanpur, Dhar, Alirajpur, Khandwa, Khargone, Ujjain, Dewas, Neemuch, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Shajapur, Agar-Malwa, Sidhi, Singrauli, Anuppur, Shahdol, Sagar, Jabalpur, Balaghat, Seoni, Mandla, Dindori, Narsinghpur, Gwalior, Guna, Ashok Nagar, Bhind, Morena, Sheopur and Shivpuri districts are covered for National De-worming Day activities. In remaining 10 districts including Umaria, Rewa, Satna, Katni, Chhindwara, Tikamgarh, Panna, Damoh, Chhatarpur and Datia, de-worming was undertaken under Filaria Programme last month. Tablets will be administered to left-over children in these districts.
Principal Secretary Gauri Singh released school magazine Sarojini. Girls winning painting competition were given prizes. Health Commissioner Pankaj Agrawal, National Health Mission Madhya Pradesh's Director Jaishri Kiyawat, Commissioner ICDS Pushplata Singh, local corporator Monu Gohal were present on the occasion.