National Deworming Programme to reach children who are out of school

In order to fight the health threat of intestinal worm infections in children aged between 1 and 19, for the next biannual round of the upcoming National Deworming Day (NDD) on August 10, 2018, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has asked states to focus on children, who are not part of the school or Anganwadi system.

"The out-of-school population is the most marginalized and vulnerable population of our country. National Deworming Day has grown from strength to strength since its inception in 2015. This has only been made possible by the dedicated efforts of all stakeholders at the state and district-level. It is crucial that we now give focused attention to reaching children who are not a part of our school and Anganwadi systems," said Vandana Gurnani, Join Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The program planning and review meeting that was held in Delhi, saw representatives from 25 states, World Health Organization, India, and National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme.

India has the highest burden of worm infections in the world, with the WHO estimating in 2014 that over 22 crore Indian children aged 1-14 years are at the risk. Intestinal worm infections can act as a deterrent to children's growth and development, and can adversely impact performance in school, and livelihood potential later in life.

Delhi has a moderate soil-transmitted helminths (STH) prevalence of 28%. The programme has been executed in Delhi much before the National Programme in Feb 2012 (27.1 lakh children reached), Oct 2013 (23.82 lakh children reached), April 2015 (29 lakh children reached out of the target of 35.59 lakh) and Feb 2016 (30.56 lakh children reached out of 43 lakh. Of the 10,900 Anganwadis, 3,150 government/aided schools and 8,00 private schools, over 27 lakh children were covered in 2017.

NDD has been reached 26.6 crore children across the country in the February 2018 making it the largest fixed-day Anganwadi and school-based deworming program in the world.

WORRYING FACTOR

• India has the highest burden of worm infections in the world, with the WHO estimating in 2014 that over 22 crore Indian children aged 1-14 years are at the risk. 
   
• Intestinal worm infections can act as a deterrent to children’s growth and development, and can adversely impact performance in school, and livelihood potential later in life.