RAJSHAHI, Oct 28, 2021 (BSS) - Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) will feed

deworming tablets to 93,113 students aged between five and 16 years in the
city.

  Along with primary and secondary level schools, all madrasas, mosque-based
schools and orphanages will be brought under the deworming tablet feeding
programme.

   The campaign will be held as part of the National Worm Control Week- 2021
scheduled to be observed from October 30 to November 5.

   RCC officials disclosed the information while addressing a central
advocacy meeting with all stakeholders in its conference hall here today.

   The main objective of the meeting was to disseminate ideas among the
stakeholders and other policy-makers so that they could play a vital role in
creating awareness on controlling the worm.

  RCC Chief Health Officer Dr AFM Anjuman Ara Begum addressed the meeting as
focal person, while Executive Magistrate Imranul Haque welcomed the
participants.

   With RCC Ward Councilor Nuruzzaman Tuku in the chair, the meeting was
addressed, among others, by District Education Officer Nasir Uddin, District
Primary Education Officer Abdus Salam, Thana Secondary Education Officers
Jahid Hassan and Mijanur Rahman and Thana Education Officer Shamim Ahmed and
RCC Health Officer Ummul Khayer Fatima.

  The discussants unanimously underlined the need for creating widespread
health awareness among the school-going children for controlling many
communicable diseases.

   Terming the schoolboys and girls as the most vulnerable to worm infection,
they unequivocally called for making them aware about health hygiene and
using sanitary latrine with washing hand properly before taking every meal.

   Dr Anjuman Begum said if the large number of students could be prevented
from the worm-infection, they would be protected from different intestinal
diseases easily.

   She pointed out that the teachers have a vital role in this regard and
said knowledge, attitude and practice could help prevent 80 percent of both
the communicable and non-communicable diseases along with malnutrition.

   Dr Begum also said due attention should be given to create mass awareness
through using both the print and electronic media and other state-level
machinery to make this idea accessible to every section of the society.

   She told the meeting that some prolonged non-communicable diseases like
diabetes, cardiac ailments, high blood pressure, stroke and respiratory
inflammation are responsible for 60 per cent of the total death.

   But the death rate could be reduced to a greater extent after following
some health related rules and regulations strictly, she added.