Odisha to administer Deworming and Vitamin A drive on Aug 12

Bhubaneswar: To improve child health, combat anaemia, and fight parasitic worm infections, the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of Odisha, in collaboration with UNICEF, is set to launch the National Deworming Day (NDD) and Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) programmes across Odisha on August 12, 2025.

The Directorate of Public Health will also implement the Lymphatic Filariasis – Mass Drug Administration (LF-MDA) programme in select districts during the same period, ensuring a comprehensive public health approach.

The Lymphatic Filariasis – Mass Drug Administration (LF-MDA) programme is a public health effort that delivers a single dose of anti-filarial drugs to entire communities to stop the spread of lymphatic filariasis.

The NDD programme will administer Albendazole to over 1.26 crore children aged 1 to 19 years and more than 15 lakh women of reproductive age (20 to 24 years) across all 30 districts. This includes 4,01,081 children aged 1-2 years in 12 LF-MDA districts, 23,39,102 children aged 1-5 years in NDD districts, and 99,06,433 children aged 6-19 years.

The biannual VAS programme will cover an estimated 32 lakh children aged 9 to 60 months, boosting immunity and reducing child mortality and morbidity.

Dr. Rajyashree Patnaik, Director of Family Welfare, stated, “National Deworming Day plays a crucial role in safeguarding children’s health and reducing anaemia in young women. Deworming improves nutritional uptake and boosts school attendance, positively impacting education and productivity.”

Highlighting the integrated nature of the campaign, Sourav Bhattacharjee, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF Odisha, noted, “The collaborative nature of this campaign ensures a comprehensive approach to child and maternal health. By integrating deworming with Vitamin A supplementation, the government is taking a significant step toward reducing undernutrition and improving cognitive development in children.”

He also informed that a state-wide helpline number— 0674-2391944 — has been initiated to assist the public with queries related to the programme.

Meanwhile, LF-MDA will be implemented in 12 selected districts: Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Sonepur, and Sundargarh.

In these districts, children aged 1-2 years will also receive deworming medication as part of the NDD programme.This large-scale initiative, which is coordinated by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, will involve government, government-aided, and private schools, as well as Anganwadi centres. Teachers, Anganwadi Workers, and ASHAs will actively participate in drug administration. UNICEF is supporting this campaign.

The press conference was also attended by Dr. Smrutijit Patnaik, Joint Director-Nutrition and Dr. Sanjay Kumar Sahoo, Nutrition Officer, UNICEF. Odisha.