Give your child de-worming now

INVC,,

Delhi,,

 During monsoons, humidity levels are high and houseflies, mosquitoes and other disease-carrying organisms flourish under these conditions. All fruits and vegetables should be washed with clean water; potassium permanganate can be added if available. Leafy vegetables and cauliflower often contain worms, cautioned Padma Shri and Dr B C Roy National Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India.

Roundworms or Ascaris are abundant in soil. Good sanitation to prevent fecal contamination of soil is required, which may not be possible in the monsoon season.

 A study from Sri Lanka has shown that even in the setting of poor sanitary facilities, washing hands before meals and drinking boiled water significantly reduces the risks of Ascaris infection. But, this alone may not be sufficient.

This is the time to give your child a de-worming tablet if it has not been given and then to repeat it 3 to 4 times in a year, said Dr Aggarwal.

Mass treatment for all school-age children with single dose mebendazole or albendazole every 3 to 4 months has been advocated in most countries. This serves the dual function of treating the children and also reducing the overall worm burden in the community.

To support this he cited that in a large randomized trial of school-based deworming performed in Zanzibar, where single dose mebendazole, given three times a year, decreased intensity of A. lumbricoides infection by 97 percent, compared to those children who received no mebendazole.