Nationwide Albendazole distribution drive launched

KABUL (Pajhwok): Officials have stressed precautionary health measures as a nationwide campaign for the distribution of Albendazole tablets to school students has kicked off by the Ministry of Education (MoE) in cooperation with the International Organisation.

The three-day campaign in which students from class first to twelve would be distributed with Albendazole tablets started on Tuesday in Habibia High School

Dr. Mohammad Amin Shahin, an official of the Ministry of Public Health, said A national survey conducted in 2003 showed that 47.2 percent of people have tapeworm spread through soil..

In addition, he mentioned poverty, non-observance of personal and environmental hygiene, drinking contaminated water, environmental pollution caused by animal and human feces, children and the elderly walking with bare feet as other factors that cause intestinal worms in people.

He said that intestinal worm caused anemia in a person and added that since 2004, in order to fight this problem, intestinal worm tablets have been distributed in schools all over the country.

Bismillah Muradi, the representative of the Department of Secondary Education, also stressed the precautionary health measures at individual and social levels.

He said: “In cases where level of hygiene and cleanliness is not taken into account, the risk of contracting intestinal worms is higher.”

He said children between the ages of one and fourteen years are more prone to this problem, and the reason for this is lack of hygiene, drinking contaminated water, eating unclean food, especially in the city and the market.

He said that every year the Ministry of Education launches a campaign to distribute Albendazol tablets for grades 1 to 12 in public and private schools.