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About one point six million school-age children in 26 Local Governments in Oyo State are at risk of endemic diseases of Schistosomiasis.
National Coordinator of the NTDs, Dr Ńṣe Akpan stated this at the Flag off of the deworming exercise for beneficiaries of National Home Grown School Feeding programme held at IDC primary School, Gbagi, Ibadan.
Dr Akpan represented by Mr Rotimi Adegojun said NTDs intended to treat school children from 5 to 14 years and those who had not enrolled for Schistosomiasis.
“Federal Ministry of Health would continue to make this project an annual event, we want to deworm all our children in Oyo State both the enroll and non enroll no one will be left out”.
Also, speaking, the Zonal Coordinator, Neglected Tropical Diseases South
West, Dr Ogunmola Olusola, who affirmed that most states in the country were affected with tropical diseases noted that with the deworming exercise in Oyo State, the endemic would reduce.
He said, “deworming activities take place almost every year in all the local governments, there 32 local governments in Oyo State that are endemic and almost all the country”.
In a remark, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouk explained that National Home-School Grown School Feeding Programme was one of the clusters under the Federal Government National Social Investment Programme aimed at providing one free nutritious meal a day to pupils of primaries 1 to 3 in public primary schools in the country.
Hajiya Farouk who was represented by Director, Social Development, Mr Taiwo Bashorun who noted that the Objectives of the NHGSFP were to increase school enrolment attendance and retention, improve the nutritional and health status of school children, stimulate local agriculture production and economy, provide empowerment opportunities for cooks.
The Minister urged all partners and stakeholders involved to act with greatest sense of diligence and professionalism to ensure children receive free deworming medications.
Also, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Rahman Abdulraheem, represented by Mrs Felicicia Oyerinde said cases of absenteeism at school had reduced
She added that 17th November and March 17th had been declared as deworming day to appreciate the support of School Home Grown Programme to improve the health of children.
Commissioner for Health, Dr Olabode Oladipo represented by Dr Oyewole Lawal while flagging off the deworming exercise said the routine was to complement the Federal Government’s efforts at feeding the school children and making them healthy.
Dr Oladipo explained that the programme was in partnership with Federal Ministry of Health, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs Management Disaster and Social Development, Oyo State Ministry of Health and Evidence Of Action Nigeria.(FRCN)
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