Over 60, 000 school children to be dewormed In Ondo
Over 60, 000 school children drawn from three local government areas of Ondo state are to benefit from the mass deworming programme put together by the joint ventures of the NNPC and Chevron. The mass deworming exercise targeted mostly at children from poor homes was flagged off Thursday in Idanre Local Government Area of the […]
Over 60, 000 school children drawn from three local government areas of Ondo state are to benefit from the mass deworming programme put together by the joint ventures of the NNPC and Chevron.
The mass deworming exercise targeted mostly at children from poor homes was flagged off Thursday in Idanre Local Government Area of the state and it drew beneficiaries (pupils) from three LGAs of Owo, Idanre and Okitipupa.
The General Manager, Policy Government and Public Affairs (PGPA) of Chevron, Esimaje Brikinn disclosed at the flag off of the deworming exercise held at St Paul mega primary school Idanre that it was part of the several health intervention programmes undertaken by the joint venture in partnership with Ondo state government to contribute to the ongoing efforts at building a healthy nation.
Brikinn, represented by Gbenga Aluko, the Director of Government Affairs of the organization said a total of sixty thousand children will benefit from it and it is aimed at making them healthier as the parasites (worm) which snapped their energies are destroyed with the treatment.
"In this programme, the target children would be given safe and effective medicines produced by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Limited to eliminate infecting worms while there is also a health education aspect to ensure that children are taught how to avoid re-infection through personal hygiene,” He said.
The Wife of the Ondo State Governor, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu said the exercise would help grow the health statues of the school children while soliciting for proper hygienic environment among the people.
Earlier, the state Commissioner for Education, Mr. Femi Agagu said the deworming exercise would help the children to develop well and boost their learning capabilities in the society.
In his own contribution, the state commissioner for Health, Dr. Wahab Adegbenro, aurged that worm infestation was a leading cause of ill health among school age children mostly in developing countries.