at the launch of the Deworming Programme, Limpopo
14 September 2006
I am very pleased to be here with you, to launch the Department of Health's
De-worming Programme today.
We know that many children in South Africa are infested with different kinds
of worms. Children who live in areas that are without safe water supply and
proper sanitation are especially at risk.
A lot of the food and nutrients which children eat are used by the worms to
grow and reproduce, rather than to nourish the children themselves. Children
with these worms do not grow well. And efforts by households and government to
ensure that children receive an adequate, healthy and balanced diet through
such interventions as school nutrition programmes are undermined by worms.
The children with worms are also unable to concentrate properly at school,
and they do not learn as much or as well as they should. Although all children
may have worms, the problem is most common amongst children of school going
age. Sometimes we know that children have these worms when they are discharged
or because a child develops a complication. But in most cases, children and
their families are unaware that they are infested and they are providing a home
and food for worms.
Other worms like bilharzia, which is common in a number of provinces
including Limpopo, are spread when people defecate or urinate in rivers or
dams. Children who often swim in the rivers or dams are at risk of infection
with these parasites, which also affect their physical and intellectual
performance.
Studies from South Africa as well as from other African and Asian countries
have shown that treating worms can improve the health, school attendance and
physical and intellectual performance of schoolchildren.
Regular deworming of children can therefore be regarded as an extremely
cost-effective strategy for promoting the health of our children. There are a
number of important steps that needs to be taken if we are to deal effectively
with the problem of worm infestations amongst children.
In the long term, the most important intervention is to ensure that everyone
has access to safe water supply and proper sanitation.
Communities and children need to be encouraged to practice good hygiene. For
example all of us need to know the importance of washing their hands after
visiting the toilet. We should all wash fruit and vegetables before eating
them.
Medicines that are used to kill worms are readily available and have been
shown to be very safe. In the past these medicines have only been given to
children who present to health facilities with complications or with a history
of having passed or vomited worms. However if these medicines are given to all
children on a regular basis, then the problems caused by worms will be greatly
reduced.
Deworming is already part of the Integrated Management of Childhood
Illnesses strategy. This means that children younger than five years who attend
primary healthcare clinics or other health facilities should receive deworming
treatment regularly, that is every six months. This is especially important for
children who are not growing well, but every child, whether they are sick or
well, should receive the treatment every six months.
This is one of the reasons why mothers and caregivers of children under five
years of age should take their children to primary healthcare facilities on a
regular basis for various services, including immunisation and an opportunity
for the children to receive Vitamin A supplementation. Mothers and other
caregivers should check with nurses at the clinics as to whether their children
have received the treatment and make sure that they get it regularly
Deworming will now be extended to include children of school going age who
should receive deworming medicine on a regular basis, which is once to three
times a year.
The frequency as well as the type of medicine given will depend on where the
school is situated. For example, children in some parts of provinces like
Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape should receive treatment against the
worms which cause bilharzia, as this condition is common in these areas.
The success of deworming will depend on many role-players working together.
Whilst the School Health and Health Promoting Schools initiatives will provide
the framework for implementation of the deworming policy, mechanisms for
ensuring that the policy is implemented effectively will need to be developed
by each province.
Primary healthcare workers, environmental health workers, educators and
school health nurses will have to work together in the implementation of this
programme. Community members and parents of schoolchildren also have a role to
play in encouraging and supporting deworming efforts and ensuring that all
eligible children receive the treatment.
Deworming has the potential to significantly improve the health of our
children and to assist South Africa in meeting the Millennium Development Goals
â which includes commitment to reduce child mortality and improve health.
Let us all support effort to rid our children of worms.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Health
14 September 2006
