Deworming drive to target over 6m children

A six-day citywide campaign to eliminate intestinal worms among children will begin on January 5 across Karachi. During the drive, preventive deworming medication will be administered to more than six million children to protect them from worm-related diseases that affect health, growth, and learning ability.

Children aged five to 14 years, including both girls and boys, will receive the medication, while adolescent girls aged 15 to 18 years will also be covered. The campaign will be conducted in government and private schools as well as through door-to-door outreach. More than 10,000 health workers will take part in the effort, while the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) will support the campaign by ensuring widespread public messaging.

The initiative is being carried out under the Sindh Deworming Initiative, which aims to reduce diseases caused by intestinal worms and improve children's nutrition, growth, and academic performance. Officials stated that so far, nearly 50 million children nationwide have been covered through this programmeme, with participation from over 237,000 schools and approximately 250,000 teachers and health workers.