CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga (PIA) –-- Deworming tablets are safe, effective and are free for the public to avail of.

This was the statement of Michelle Bautista, medical technologist of the infectious disease cluster of the Department of Health’s Central Luzon Center for Health Development, in a recent forum here.  

She emphasized that deworming tablets such as albendazole or mebendazole are proven safe so parents and guardians need not fear to have their children dewormed.

To mark National Deworming Month, the DOH conducts mass drug administration in schools and communities every January and another round in July or every six months to reduce the spread of Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH) or bulate and achieve its target of being “bulate-free”.

Bautista said Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH) or bulate is a public health concern affecting children, expectant mothers, food handlers, farmers, and indigenous groups.

"STH or worms living inside humans can cause slow growth, poor learning ability, lethargy, and pain, cause anemia, and in severe cases, death," she said.

This can be transmitted through ingestion or accidental consumption of worm eggs from contaminated food or hands, walking barefoot in an area with worm eggs, and poor body and environmental hygiene.

According to the World Health Organization, about 12 percent or 1.5 billion people are affected worldwide. 

In the Philippines, 66 percent of children aged 12 to 72 months, and 54 percent of students from Kinder to Grade 12 are affected by worms.

Last year, health authorities in Central Luzon managed to deworm a 37 percent of the eligible population, which includes children one to 19 years old.

STH can be prevented through washing hands, ensuring safe and clean food preparation,  defecating in a clean comfort room, and keeping the environment clean. (MJSC/RGP-PIA 3)