Over two million school-aged children across Ghana will benefit from a deworming campaign from October 28 to November 3, 2024. This initiative, known as the 2024 National School and Community Deworming Exercise, aims to reach up to 2.6 million students in both public and private schools across 100 districts and 15 regions.
Additionally, 1.6 million community-based children and adults in 57 districts will participate in this program. The deworming effort is a collaboration between the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) and seeks to reduce the prevalence of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth infections.
Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General of GHS, announced that participating children will receive 600mg of praziquantel and 400mg of albendazole tablets, donated by the World Health Organization (WHO). The administration of the medication will be closely supervised by trained teachers and health workers.
Dr. Kuma-Aboagye emphasized the importance of children eating before taking the medication to enhance its absorption. He recommended that doses be administered after the first school break or meal. Schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection common in areas with poor sanitation, can cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and liver damage. In severe cases, it may lead to female genital schistosomiasis, which can affect fertility and cause menstrual disorders.
With an estimated national prevalence of schistosomiasis at 23.3% in Ghana, Dr. Kuma-Aboagye underscored the urgent need to raise awareness about preventive practices. Soil-transmitted helminths, which are associated with inadequate sanitation and hygiene, are also prevalent, leading to anemia and impairing physical and cognitive development.
Theresa Oppong-Mensah, the Director of GES’s School Health Education Programme, confirmed that schools are prepared for the campaign, with plans to coordinate meals through the Ghana School Feeding Programme. The USAID Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme also reiterated its commitment to combat parasitic infections.
The media has been encouraged to help raise awareness and support this deworming initiative, which promises to enhance the health and well-being of Ghana’s young population.
