National Deworming Day 2023: It is marked on February 10 to increase awareness of the value of deworming, particularly for young children between the ages of 1 and 19. The purpose behind celebrating the day is to reduce the prevalence of Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH), commonly known as parasitic intestinal worms, among all children and adolescents.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
National Deworming Day (NDD), which was introduced in 2015, is one of the biggest public health initiatives ever carried out on a single day. Through its two NDD rounds each year, it reaches millions of children and adolescents. The day is an initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India to make every child in the country worm-free. To “enhance their general health, nutritional condition, access to education, and quality of life,” deworming is done through the channels of schools and Anganwadi centres.As per World Health Organisation (WHO), about 24% population across the world is infected with soil-transmitted helminths worms. In India, around 241 million children of age groups 1 and 14 years are at risk of parasitic intestinal worms which are known as soil-transmitted helminths.
What are the symptoms?
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting
- Gas/bloating
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight loss
- Abdominal pain or tenderness