Over 2.5 million doses of deworming medication, valued at UGX 2.5 billion, have been donated to support child health initiatives during the April Integrated Child Health Days in Uganda.
The consignment, which includes Albendazole tablets for children aged 1 to 14, was facilitated by Food for the Hungry (FH) Canada through FH Association, in partnership with Mildmay Uganda and the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Charles Olaro, Director General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health,while receiving the consignment hailed the initiative’s mission to eliminate worms.
“The worm infections are serious, and have got serious health consequences towards the nutrition of an individual because they interfere with the nutritional uptake leading to to anemia as a result of micro bleeding,”he noted.
Dr. Olaro also emphasized the need for prevention techniques through proper hand washing and food preparation.
“The other aspect of prevention is key so that you really would do hand washing with water and soap but also even if you buy a fruit from wherever you buy it wash it before you eat then also the food should not be half cooked “.
Dr. Yvonne Karamaji, Executive Director of Mildmay Uganda, emphasized the importance of deworming in reducing anemia, improving growth, and boosting cognitive development in children. “Every dollar invested in combating chronic under nutrition yields a $16 return,” she noted.
The donation aims to address under nutrition and improve school attendance across eight targeted districts, including Mbale, Ajumani, and areas within Karamoja.
Beyond medicine distribution, partners will provide capacity building, supervision, and community mobilization to ensure effective uptake.
“So on top of donating these de-wormers, Mildmay and Food for the Hungry are also going to support other areas including capacity building in nutrition supply chain, including supervision and mentorship in one of the three poorly performing districts in terms of micro-planning because we know if that is not done well we shall have also challenges,”Karamaji remarked.