No fewer than 425,000 children across seven local government areas would be de-wormed in Sokoto State. This was disclosed by the Commissioner of Health, Dr. Ali Inname while flagging off the exercise at Yakubu Mu’azu Model Primary School on Wednesday.
According to Inname, the exercise was meant for children under the age of 15.
He however, quoted a statistics by the World Health Organization that over 870 million children in the world were at risk of parasitic worm infection.
He pointed out that “Worm infection interferes with nutrient uptake which can lead to anemia, malnourishment and impaired mental and physical development, and pose a serious threat to children’s health, education, and productivity.
He called on parents to cooperate and support the exercise, assuring that enough drugs were purchased for success of the exercise. Inname also disclosed plans to extend free medical care to pregnant women and children under the age of five to the remaining 288 health facilities across the state.
By Abubakar Auwal,
Daily Trust