Five million women to receive World Vision-donated deworming tablets
Over five million women of child bearing age in 16 provinces in Vietnam are expected to benefit from deworming drugs Albendazole that World Vision handed over to the National Institute of Malariology Parasitology and Entomology (NIMPE) on 25 August 2015. By this donation, World Vision encourages all women of the age group to prevent worm infection by periodically deworming.
NIMPE is responsible for drug distribution, monitoring and evaluation of the process of mass drug administration (MDA) in the provinces, namely Dien Bien, Son La, Cao Bang, Yen Bai, Hoa Binh, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Thai Nguyen, Bac Ninh, Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Dak Lak, Quang Nam, Binh Phuoc, and Tay Ninh. In cooperation with World Vision, NIMPE will conduct behaviour change communication activities during the MDA through grass-root loudspeaker systems in order to raise awareness of worm infection prevention and the importance of deworming among the women.
Leaders at the ceremony highlighted the importance of deworming for children and women of child bearing age.
NIMPE’s latest statistics indicate that nearly half of the total population in Vietnam is infected with worms, of which the infection rate in the north-midland and mountainous region is about 65.3%. Besides children, women of child bearing age are of another population group at high risk of worm infection. Another survey of NIMPE found that 60-80% women of child bearing age in north-western Vietnam are infected with hookworms, resulting in their anemia.
Since 2010, about four million Vietnamese women have received deworming drugs each year. Most of the drugs were provided by World Vision and World Health Organisation. Albendazole is safe drug with only 0.09% chance of having very minor side effects such as abdominal pain, nausea and headache that are transient without any medical intervention.
“World Vision, as a child-focused organisation, expects all children to be born healthy,” says World Vision Vietnam’s Officer In Charge Mrs. Tran Thu Huyen. “World Vision’s deworming drug donation aims to urge the authorities at all levels to continue raising awareness of communities on the importance of deworming, especially for women who live in remote and mountainous areas; and help them create a habit of periodically buying and taking deworming drug in order to prevent anemia and fetal malnutrition which is caused by worm infection.”
“Worm infection causes various bad health impacts such as anemia, micro-nutrient deficiencies, malnutrition, and hepatobiliary disease. As a result, human physical and mental development is affected,” said NIMPE’s Director Dr. Tran Thanh Duong. “Furthermore, worms directly affect fetus. Children and women of child bearing age need to take deworming drugs once every 6 months in order to prevent diseases caused by worm infection as they are at high risk of worm infection.”
A bottle of 1,000 Albendazole tablets.
Text: Tran My Hang
Photo: Nguyen Kim Ngan - World Vision, Nguyen Dzung - NIMPE