Deworming tablets for everyone in Tamil Nadu
Posted on: 21/Dec/2019 10:14:49 AM
Instead of just children, the de-worming tablets would be given to everybody in the state of TN. This has been planned by the state public health department. This would be carried out 2 times in a year for a period of atleast 5 years from February 2020.
The surprising piece of information is more than half the pregnant women and adolescent girls in TN suffer from anaemia. It is known that anaemia is a condition in which a person has got insufficient number of RBCs and this reduces the capacity of blood to carry oxygen. This condition is associated with issues like weakness, shortness of breath, tiredness etc.
It is now said that the drug would rid one�s body of parasitic worms. Important point is de-worming 8 crore people in TN would reduce the soil transmitted infections. These infections are caused due to roundworms, hookworm and whipworms etc. Nutritional status of the people gets impaired because the worms feed on the tissues of the host especially blood. This would lead to iron as well as protein loss.
It was mentioned by the director of public health that albendazole tablets have been issued to the school students. He added that by giving this tablet to the adults then worms get killed in the guts and transmission in the community is reduced. When purchased in bulk amounts, the cost of tablet would be less than Rs 1. Important point is iron deficiency creates reduced growth in the kids plus reduce productivity in adults. Gross domestic product gets affected.
It is shocking to mention here that the adult worms live in the intestines and they lay thousands of eggs every day. It is brought out that in places that do not have adequate sanitation eggs contaminate the soil.
Nectar Americanus is a common species of worm in TN and each of these worms suck 0.2ml of blood every day. A person would lose lot of blood when these worms are present inside the body.
The important piece of news is public health directorate has sought help from the TN Medical Services Corporation for buying adequate amounts of tablets for the people.
