Distribution of Deworming Tablets to 26.9 Million People; Tamil Nadu Government ▪ Tamil Nadu has launched a program to provide deworming tablets to children and women under 30 years of age. ▪ A total of 26.9 million people will benefit from this scheme. National Deworming Day is celebrated in February and August. ▪ Under this program, Albendazole tablets are provided to children under 19 years and women between 20-30 years of age. ▪ These tablets are widely distributed through all primary health centers, Anganwadi centers, schools, and colleges. ▪ Due to worm infections, children suffer from problems like anemia, growth impairment, and reduced performance. Rivers in Chennai and Salem identified as “priority stretches” by (CPCB) ▪ Rivers in Chennai and Salem have been identified as “priority stretches” by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) based on water quality data, ▪ Tamil Nadu has 10 severely polluted river stretches and have been categorised under Priority I to V, the Adyar and Cooum in Chennai, and Thirumanimuthar and Vasishta rivers near Salem are Priority I State Health Ministers' Meeting: Lymphatic Filariasis Disease Awareness ▪ In the country, 111 districts across 13 states have been identified as highly affected by lymphatic filariasis disease. ▪ States severely affected include Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. ▪ Lymphatic filariasis is caused by filarial worms and is transmitted to humans through mosquitoes. ▪ Medicines for this disease are being distributed free of cost, benefiting 17.5 crore people across these 13 states. ▪ With medicines being distributed twice a year, the goal is to achieve "LF-free India" by 2027.
