Daily Times

Asst. Chief Health Ministry of Planning & Development, Zoraiz Riaz, said on Tuesday that the children in Pakistan are suffering from intestinal worms due to poor sanitation and hygiene.

Talking to a private news channel, he described that the worms are parasites, which live in human intestines for food and survival.

They consume nutrients meant for the human body and cause blood loss, poor nutrition, and stunted growth, he added. He said that the government, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), is working to solve this problem across the country.

The Pakistan Deworming Initiative (PDI) is led by the Ministries of Planning, Education, and Health in collaboration with provincial health and education departments, he added.

A 2016-2017 survey found that around 17 million school-aged children in 47 districts of Pakistan are at risk of intestinal worm infections and need annual treatment, he further included. He disclosed that, under the Pakistan Deworming Initiative, more than 25 million children have been dewormed so far. He said that the program operates using two main models, a teacher-based approach and a health worker model.

Under the teacher-based model, teachers conduct regular awareness sessions in schools and administer deworming medicine to children with parental consent, he added. In the health worker model, healthcare workers go door-to-door, delivering preventive medicine directly to children, he further added. He said that the government remains committed to addressing this health issue and improving the lives of children across the country.