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Wednesday, June 20, 2007
5-6 of 10 schoolkids infected with worms
By Linette C. Ramos
CEBU CITY -- A health expert called on the Cebu City Government to improve environmental sanitation after noting a decrease of only 23 percent in the incidence of intestinal worms among school children.
A recent study of the University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) showed that 57 percent of the city's 94,000 public elementary school students are still infected with intestinal worms, as of March this year.
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Five to six in every 10 pupils have intestinal worms, said Dr. Vicente Belizario of the UP-NIH.
The survey was conducted after the first dosage of the deworming tablets given to all public school elementary students during the launch of the "Gubat Batok Bitok" project in September last year.
Before that, seven out of 10 pupils had intestinal worms.
Belizario said the ultimate goal for Cebu City is to wipe out heavy-intensity worm infection among school children and eliminate worm infection complications, such as malnutrition, to keep the children in the classrooms.
"The reduction rate is about 22 percent and that's good enough considering it's only the first round. This is not a one-shot deal and the important thing is for the City to sustain the treatment because if we stop it, tataas ulit ang (we can expect an increase in) infection," he warned city officials Tuesday.
Last year, Belizario cited Cebu City as a model for the country in the fight against worm infection among children, being the first City Schools Division in the country to undertake a massive de-worming project.
"Dapat tutukan ng LGU (local government unit) ang environmental sanitation because reinfection rate is still high, which means madumi pa rin ang (dirty) environment, the children are still not washing their hands. Pag hindi tinutukan, wala tayong pupuntahan, gamot lang tayo ng gamot (If we will not address it, we will not go anywhere. We'll just keep on treating it)," he said in a meeting with health and education officials.
By August, the City Government will be ready to give students the second dosage.
The City Health Department, City Schools Division and the Department of Social Welfare Services decided to include day care pupils, pre-school, public high school and private elementary school students this time.
City Planning Officer Nigel Paul Villarete, City Hall's coordinator for Unicef's Country Program for Children 6, said the City will spend at least P2 million for the second dosage.
The second phase of the deworming project will focus on Alumnos Elementary School, the only school where an increase in the prevalence of intestinal worms among the students and increase in intensity infection was noted.
"But overall, there's a drastic reduction of heavy-intensity infection, which means that there are much fewer children with less worms. Those with greater heavy intensity infection suffer more complications like malnutrition, stomach pains and other illnesses that result to poor performance in school," Belizario explained. (Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (June 20, 2007 issue)
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