10-Feb-2020: The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare conducts the tenth round of the National Deworming Day (NDD)
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) conducted the tenth round of National Deworming Day (NDD). This will be followed by the mop-up day on February 17, 2020. As part of this campaign, children and adolescents aged 1-19 years are being administered Albendazole (400 mg) across government, government-aided schools, anganwadis, private schools and other educational institutions. The NDD is implemented with an objective to reduce the prevalence of Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH), commonly called the parasitic intestinal worms, among all children and adolescents. Infections with the main STH – roundworm, whipworm and hookworms – contribute to 50.1 lakh disability adjusted life-years (DALYs) worldwide (WHO, 2010). One DALY can be thought of as one lost "healthy" year from a life. In India, over 22 crore children under 14 years are at risk of STH infections (WHO, 2017). Launched in 2015, the NDD is the largest public health program implemented on a single day reaching crores of children and adolescents through two NDD rounds every year. This year today, 19 states took up activities to reach 9.35 crore of the target population. NDD will be observed in 34 States/UTs over the next weeks and is expected to reach an estimated 30 crore of the target population.
Implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Human Resource Development, NDD is a key intervention of Anemia Mukt Bharat. Its success and impact lie in convergence with the Swachh Bharat Mission. NDD presents opportunities to further policy dialogue on health and nutrition as a way of supplementing efforts under POSHAN Abhiyaan.
In preparation for the NDD round today, Anganwadi workers and teachers are trained on community mobilization and administration of deworming tablet. ASHAs, PRI members and youth volunteers engage in the program for community mobilization and awareness about the program. Deworming through Albendazole is an evidence-based, globally-accepted, effective solution used to control worm infections in all children. However, it can have minor side effects and some children, especially those with high worm infections, might experience nausea, mild abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. Comprehensive adverse event protocols are in place by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to safeguard from these occurrences.
8-Feb-2019: Health Ministry conducts 8th round of National Deworming Day (NDD) campaign
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) conducted its eighth round of National Deworming Day (NDD). This key program initiative is implemented with an objective to reduce the prevalence of Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH) or parasitic intestinal worms so that they are no longer a public health problem. As per WHO, 64% of the Indian population less than 14 years are at risk of STH infections. Launched in 2015 through a single fixed day approach, the NDD program in this round, targets to reach 24.44 crore children and adolescents in 30 states/UTs, in the age group of 1-19 years.
The program is implemented with the Ministries of Women and Child Development and Human Resource Development, where the anganwadi workers and teachers administer the deworming medicine to children and adolescents at the anganwadis and schools. ASHA workers support the efforts through community mobilization and sensitization of communities about the ill effects of worm infestations. The success of the NDD program has incrementally increased with each round as the coverage has increased from 8.9 crores in Feb 2015 to 22.69 crores in the last round in August 2018.
In this round of NDD, there will be an enhanced participation from private schools and institutions where all children 1- 19 years old are engaged, such as technical institutes, junior colleges and others.
The NDD program is a cost-effective program at scale that continues to reach crores of children and adolescents with deworming benefits through a safe medicine Albendazole. Deworming has shown to reduce absenteeism in schools; improve health, nutritional, and learning outcomes for children; and increase the likelihood of higher-wage jobs later in life as per global evidence.
Using Albendazole tablet for deworming is an evidence-based, globally-accepted, and effective solution used to control worm infections in all children, regardless of socio-economic background. NDD is observed bi-annually on 10th February and 10th August in all states and UTs followed by mop-up activities. This year the NDD is being conducted on 8th February and mop up day on the 14th February.
NDD falls under the purview of the Extended Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, and is also committed to improving the nutritional uptake in all children and adolescents and has immensely contributed to the cause of Anemia Mukt Bharat and Poshan Abhiyaan, under the National Nutrition Strategy, formulated by Niti Aayog in December 2017, with a vision towards anemia and malnutrition reduction by 2022. The convergence of NDD with the Swachh Bharat Mission is another step towards ensuring cleanliness and hygiene in our surroundings and towards prevention and control of worm infestation. Awareness generation activities have also been undertaken under this program to sensitize the public about the harmful effects of worm infestation due to open defecation and to promote healthy habits to keep worm infections under control.
In view of the preparations for the event, the teachers and anganwadi workers have been trained to administer the tablet to children, while ASHAs and other government functionaries such as Panchayati Raj Institution members and youth volunteers are disseminating about the NDD in communities towards a worm free India. Deworming may have very few side effects and some children, especially those with high worm infections, might experience nausea, mild abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. In line with the guidance from the MoHFW, comprehensive adverse event protocols have been put in place.
Apart from being dewormed, maintaining healthy and hygienic practices will help children and communities remain safe from worm infections. The MoHFW envisions an open-defecation-free India which holds the capacity to reduce the overall worm burden in a community.
9-Aug-2017: Health Ministry set for 2nd round of National Deworming initiative
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is all geared up for its 2nd round of National Deworming Day (NDD) 2017 on 10th August in 33 States/UTs followed by mop-up activities on 17th August targeting 31 crore children. A total of 7.8 crore children are targeted in private schools and 3.5 crore out of school children will be covered in this program through Anganwadi workers and ASHAs.
This is one of the largest public health programs reaching large number of children during a short period. The first NDD round of 2017 implemented in February covered 26 crore children with a coverage of 89%.
The NDD program has been launched in 2015 as WHO estimates that 220 million children below 14 years of age are at risk of STH infections in India. National Deworming Day is organised twice in a year covering all the children from 1-19 years of age except the States of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where deworming is carried out once in a year. The Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH) prevalence in these two States is less than 20%. All the children are provided deworming tablet in schools and anganwadis. The deworming has the potential to improve nutritional status of children. The deworming tablet called ‘Albendazole’ is a safe and efficacious drug for controlling worm infestation.
The first round of NDD was observed in February 2015 and 8.9 crore children were administered the deworming tablet across 11 states/UTs by achieving 85% coverage. Thereafter, 25 crore, 12 crore and 26 crore children were covered in NDD February 2016, August 2016 and February 2017 rounds respectively.
During NDD, besides the deworming tablet, various health promotion activities related to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) are also being organised in schools and anganwadis. This program is being implemented in close collaboration with Ministry of Human Resource & Development and Ministry of Women & Child Development. The program strategies for effective implementation are planned as per the NDD operational guidelines which include Steering Committee Meetings at states and districts, timely integrated distribution of drugs, IEC materials, community awareness and mobilization efforts to include out-of-school and unregistered children into the program.
National Deworming Day aims to reach every child, regardless of their socio-economic circumstance. Schools and anganwadis are ideal platforms for such a program, reaching children in their natural environment in a coordinated, cost-effective, and systematic way. In addition, through extensive awareness generation and community mobilization efforts at state, district, and community levels, children who are out of school, live in hard-to-reach areas, and are from vulnerable populations are also mobilized to be dewormed at anganwadis on National Deworming Day.
A coordinated effort is rolled out across the country with tablets, communication material, and reporting forms delivered to the very last school and anganwadi well in time for the deworming program. Officials and functionaries at all levels are trained, including teachers and anganwadi workers, who are pillars of the program. This results in lakhs of anganwadi workers and teachers, who are trusted by the community, administering the deworming tablet to crores of children on a single day across the country.
Deworming may have very few side effects and some children, especially those with high worm infections, might experience nausea, mild abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, and fatigue. In line with the guidance from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, comprehensive adverse event protocols have been put in place.
Apart from being dewormed, maintaining healthy and hygienic practices will help children and communities remain safe from worm infections.