Bhubaneswar, Aug 9: To ensure that every woman of reproductive age and child in Odisha is worm-free, the Department of Health and Family Welfare aims to deworm more than one crore children and women across the state on August 10, officials said on Thursday.

A mop-up round will be held on August 17 for those who missed the dose on the initial date.

Alongside the deworming campaign, a vitamin A supplementation program will also be conducted.

Children aged 9 to 60 months will receive age-appropriate Vitamin A solutions at routine vaccination sites and during the special Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Day in August.

Addressing the media in Bhubaneswar, Dr Sanjukta Sahoo, Director of Family Welfare, said, "During NDD, children aged 6-19 years and women of reproductive age 20-24 years will be provided with Albendazole tablets, while children aged 1-5 years will be administered age-appropriate Albendazole suspension at respective schools and Anganwadi centres facilitated by teachers, Anganwadi Workers and ASHAs."

The National Deworming Day (NDD) August 2024 round will be held in 19 districts, i.e., Balasore, Bhadrak, Bolangir, Boudh, Cuttack, Deogarh, Gajapati, Jagatsighpur, Kendrapada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Khurda, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nayagarh, Nabrangpur, Nuapada, Rayagada and Puri.

Dr Sahoo informed, "Lymphatic Filariasis-Mass Drug Administration (LFMDA) will be implemented in identified Implementation Units (IU) and blocks of the rest 11 districts (Angul, Bargarh, Dhenkanal, Ganjam Jharsuguda, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Sonepur & Sundergarh), in which children aged 1-2 years will be provided with albendazole suspension under NDD. In the rest of the blocks of these 11 districts where LF-MDA is not implemented, children and women will be covered under NDD."

All schools and anganwadi centres will be the implementation sites of the NDD. All the private schools, playschools, childcare institutions, and academic institutions will be included in this campaign.

"National Deworming Day is a vital initiative in safeguarding the health of our children and communities. This widespread initiative aims to improve the overall health, nutritional status, access to education, and quality of life of children and women of reproductive age," emphasised Sourav Bhattacharjee, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF. "By providing access to deworming medication, we're not only preventing the harmful effects of intestinal worms but also fostering healthier futures."

(ANI)

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