New Delhi: About 241 million children between the ages of 1 – 14 years in India are at risk of parasitic intestinal worms, known as Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH), according to World Health Organisation. That is about 68 per cent of India’s children in this age-group who are at risk of STH infections. Further, that means that India accounts for approximately 28 per cent of the total number of children globally estimated to be at-risk of STH infections. These infections can have a major impact on the nutritional status of children as these worms thrive inside the human intestines and eat into the nutrients and vitamins that a child consumes. To fight this challenge, February 10 is observed as the National Deworming Day (NDD) in India with an aim to spread awareness about the problem and treatment of intestinal worm infections in all children.
Also Read: National Deworming Day 2020: A Manual On Intestinal Worms And Their Prevention
To mark deworming day among many political leaders who took to social media, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan said,
Let’s get rid of worms and make way for a healthy future. National Deworming Day is being celebrated today to prevent worm infections among children and adolescents.
'कृमि से छुटकारा
सेहतमंद भविष्य हमारा'
आज राष्ट्रीय कृमि मुक्ति दिवस है।
बच्चों व किशोरों में कृमि संक्रमण को रोकने तथा इससे बचाव के प्रति जागरूकता फैलाने हेतु #NationalDewormingDay मनाया जाता है।
आइए,संकल्प लें कि एक भी नौनिहाल व किशोर इसकी खुराक से वंचित न रह जाए@MoHFW_INDIA pic.twitter.com/mp3VNPVXwI— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) February 10, 2020
Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee said,
24 crore children in India are at risk of parasitic intestinal worms according to @WHO. On #NationalDewormingDay let us pledge to spread awareness and make every child in the country worm-free.
Also Read: Deworming For Children In India: Here Are Five Things To Know
24 crore children in India are at risk of parasitic intestinal worms according to @WHO. On #NationalDewormingDay let us pledge to spread awareness and make every child in the country worm-free
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) February 10, 2020
Suparno Satpathy, Socio-Political leader, Odisha thanking the anganwadi workers and volunteers adds,
Deworming assures a healthy life. On this #NationalDewormingDay do get your child dewormed. Thank the Anganwadi workers, the teachers, the volunteers and the others who are helping for this cause in #Odisha.
Deworming assures a healthy life. On this #NationalDewormingDay do get your child dewormed. Thank the Anganwadi workers, the teachers , the volunteers @SNSMT and the others who are helping for this cause in #Odisha
— Suparno Satpathy (@SuparnoSatpathy) February 10, 2020
Highlighting how Bengaluru celebrated the day, M Goutham Kumar, Mayor of Bengaluru added,
#NationalDewormingDay is an initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to deworm children & adolescents in the age group of 1 to 19 years and to reduce the prevalence of parasitic worms in the intestine. Don’t let your child miss out on the benefits of #deworming!
He also added that as a part of the National Deworming Day celebrations today prevention tablets are being distributed free of charge by the Department of Health in all anganwadi centers and schools across the country.
#NationalDewormingDay is an initiative of @MoHFW_INDIA to deworm children & adolescents in the age group of 1 to 19 years to reduce the prevalence of parasitic worms in the intestine. Don't let your child miss out on the benefits of #deworming! pic.twitter.com/zwRxZA7EtW
— M Goutham Kumar (@iamgouthamkumar) February 10, 2020
Earlier, Princess Diya Kumari of The Royal Family of Jaipur had informed on social media that children & adolescents aged 1-19 will be provided with #deworming treatment using the effective & risk-free albendazole tablet on the #NationalDewormingDay. She said, “Treatment will be available free-of-cost.”
Children & adolescents aged 1-19 will be provided with #deworming treatment using the effective & risk-free albendazole tablet this #NationalDewormingDay available free-of-cost ensuring.
#HealthForAll #WormFreeIndia #SwasthaBharat #AyushmanBharatHWCs #KoiPeecheNaChoote pic.twitter.com/M1MwgPxOgX— Diya Kumari (@KumariDiya) February 8, 2020
The official handle of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also tweeted a video showcasing various activities that took place on the National Deworming Day wherein free Albendazole medicines were provided to the children to effectively fight the STH infections.
आज देश भर में कृमि मुक्ति दिवस का आयोजन किया गया जिसके तहत 1 से 19 वर्ष के सभी बच्चों को एल्बेंडाजॉल की दवाई खिलाई गयी।
चलिए मिलके बढ़ाते है कदम एक #KrimiMuktBharat की ओर! #WormFreeIndia #NationalDewormingDay @PMOIndia @drharshvardhan @AshwiniKChoubey @NITIAayog @PIB_India pic.twitter.com/FoWs3P8WkX— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) February 10, 2020
About National Deworming Day
Launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Deworming Day was established in 277 districts of 11 States and Union Territories (UTs) including Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura. In 2016, NDD programme was scaled up to cover all the districts across the country. Since then it is observed twice a year on February 10 and August 10, across the nation.
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