By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Kwara State government has flagged off the deworming exercise for 776,896 children between five and 14 years towards ensuring a healthy living of children in the State.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Ahmed El-Amin, who flagged off the exercise at the Queen Elizabeth Secondary School, Ilorin, noted that the deworming exercise was a testament to the state government’s commitment to protecting children from preventable diseases.

“This year’s Mass Administration of Medicines (MAM) is targeted at seven hundred and seventy six thousand eight hundred and ninety six (776,896) school aged children (SAC), with deworming tablets in the State expect Oke- Ero Local Government Area, but our mission does not stop at treatments alone, we are equally committed to prevention. This includes promoting clean water, improving sanitation, and raising awareness about the importance of good hygiene practices”, Dr El-Imam added.

She then lauded Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for prioritising the health of all Kwarans, through his administration’s support of several health interventions going on in the State.

For his part, the Chairman, House Committee on Health and Environment, Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Rasak Owolabi, enjoined parents, guardians and students to ensure that they take advantage of the free health initiative to deworm.

Hon. Owolabi, who urged the students to take to prescribed medication by Doctors, warned against bathing with or drinking contaminated stream water.

He particularly lauded the State Ministry of Health, for being proactive in the deworming exercise in order to avoid outbreak of epidemics in the State.

The Manager, Kwara State Sight Savers Programme, Mr Lekan Ajayi, in his remarks, expressed gratitude to the State Government for providing an enabling environment for all development partners, especially Sight Savers in the last 30 years to operate.

The deworming exercise is expected to take place in all schools across the State, except Oke- Ero Local Government which is non endemic for Schistosomiasis.