Bihar

• 23 Apr 2022

albendazole

Why In News?

On April 22, 2022, more than 50 children who were given Albendazole medicine at Shah Zubair Middle School Ghorghat in Munger, Bihar fell ill.

Key Points

• Albendazole is an evidence-based, globally accepted, effective solution of worming, which is used to control worm infestation in all children.
• It is in this context that the National Deworming Days were started in 2015 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which is celebrated on 10 February and 10 August every year.
• It aims to eradicate intestinal worms, also known as soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), in children aged 1-19 years.
• Significantly, intestinal worms live in the human intestine in a parasitic form and consume nutrients and vitamins to make children malnourished.