Cross River Launches Deworming Campaign for Children

Cross River State has commenced a school-based deworming campaign aimed at protecting hundreds of thousands of children from intestinal worm infections. The initiative targets children aged five to fourteen and is part of a broader effort to improve health and academic performance among school-aged pupils.

The program was highlighted during a stakeholder workshop organized by Evidence Action and the Nigeria Union of Journalists at the Press Centre in Calabar. Veronica Mark, the program officer for neglected tropical diseases, emphasized the importance of the initiative in eliminating worm infections that hinder children's growth and learning abilities.

Eustac Ohaji, the South-South program lead for Evidence Action, noted that the current phase of the exercise will run for five days, focusing on treating soil-transmitted helminth infections and schistosomiasis. The campaign is supported by financial backing from the Cross River State government and aims to reach six million school-aged children annually across Nigeria.