The Lagos State Government has commenced a school-based mass deworming programme aimed at combatting Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH) across ten endemic Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.
In collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the non-governmental organization, Evidence Action, the initiative targets the treatment of 1.4 million school-aged children between five and 14 years old who are susceptible to parasitic worm infections in Lagos State.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, speaking at the program’s launch at CMS Primary School, Bariga, highlighted that the deworming exercise will take place in ten soil-transmitted helminthiasis endemic local governments, including Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Amuwo-Odofin, Apapa, Badagry, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Ojo, and Shomolu.
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The exercise is scheduled to run for five days, from Tuesday, 21st to Saturday, 25th November 2023. Children aged five to 14 years in schools and communities within the ten LGAs will receive deworming treatment using Mebendazole Tablets (500mg).
Prof. Abayomi emphasized that school-based deworming is an evidence-based strategy to treat children at risk of parasitic worm infections. Teachers and community health workers have undergone training to safely administer the medicines to children.
The Commissioner urged residents in the affected LGAs to participate in the exercise, underscoring the government’s commitment to ensuring a worm-free state, especially among school-aged children.
Echoing this sentiment, the Country Director of Evidence Action, Pharm Tope Ogunbi, noted the program’s effectiveness in treating diseases that hinder children’s educational progress. She emphasized the collaboration between the Lagos State government, ministries, and Evidence Action towards achieving health goals and reducing poverty, in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals One and Three.
Ogunbi highlighted Evidence Action’s global efforts in delivering over 1.8 billion deworming treatments, expressing the organization’s commitment to supporting governments with evidence-based health interventions to alleviate poverty. She encouraged parents in the affected LGAs to ensure their children within the specified age group receive the free and effective deworming treatment.
