Palawan gov’t to implement expanded national school and community-based deworming

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=7&rid=957688
• Tuesday, January 24, 2017

By Celeste Anna R. Formoso [(PNA), LAP/CARF/EBP]

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Jan. 24 (PNA) -- This January, the provincial government of Palawan will again start the implementation of the annual Expanded National School and Community-based Deworming in a bid to prevent nutritional impairment caused by soil-transmitted helminth infections during childhood.

Provincial Nutrition Action Office (PNAO) chief Rachel Paladan said Tuesday that the first round of “Oplan: Goodbye Bulate (OGB),” which is done twice a year will begin this month again in cooperation with the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DepEd) and local government units (LGU).

She said the OGB’s main goal is to bring down cases of students affected by helminths, a group of parasites that “is commonly referred to as worms and include schistosomes (blood-flukes) and soil-transmitted parasitic worms that are common in developing countries.”

“The foremost target is to lessen the cases of children affected by parasitic worms in their stomachs that can cause diarrhea, loss of appetite which can lead to a drop in energy intake, and having low I.Q. in studying,” Paladan said.

OGB implementation will cover the distribution of anthelminthic (deworming) medicines to students from kinder to Grade 6 in all private and public schools in municipalities in the province.

Children between 1-4 years old will also be given anthelminthic medicines through health centers and Rural Health Unit (RHU).

Paladan said children who will be observed to be pale in complexion, emaciated, short of normal weight, with a bloated stomach, have no appetite to eat, and with blood in their stool should be immediately treated.

She said round one of deworming will happen before the month of January ends, and announcements will be made by the PNAO.

“Other than the deworming programs we have, of course, we want to remind parents that prevention is better than cure. We encourage them to maintain cleanliness in their environment, make their children always wear slippers, cut their finger nails regularly, and to wash their hands before meals to prevent parasitic worms from entering their body,” she said.