Launched on Thursday, the campaign ends today in all primary and secondary schools in the country.

A Nationwide campaign to deworm children of school age is currently taking place in private and public primary and secondary schools throughout the country. The exercise which is within the 2012 campaign to deworm school children from bilharzia and intestinal worms was launched yesterday May 3 at the Government Primary School Mballa II in Yaounde by the Ministers of Public Health, Basic Education and the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Secondary Education in the presence of national and international dignitaries as well as donors.

Several dignitaries took turns during the ceremony to emphasis on the campaign and its importance given that two million Cameroonians suffer from bilharzia while five million Cameroonians are at risk of bilharzia infection, with more than ten million Cameroonians suffering from intestinal worms. Noting that school-age children between six to 15 years are the most infected and the most vulnerable group, the Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Youssouf Hadidja Alim said the children are likely to suffer from stunted growth, learning difficulties, anaemia and weaknesses as well as more exposed to other infections.

Given that the risk behaviour for bilharzia and intestinal worms are bathing in rivers and drinking water contaminated with the eggs of the worms, farming in swampy areas, walking barefooted, swallowing worm eggs from unwashed hands, fruits and vegetables, the Minister of Basic Education as well as that of Public Health called on pupils to always use latrines put at their disposals instead of defecating or urinating in or near water, always wash their hands, avoid contact with contaminated water, wash hands after using the latrine as well as vegetables and fruits before eating them. The Minister of Public Health, André Mama Fouda used the occasion to laud the support of donors in the fight against Bilharzia and Intestinal Worms particularly Helen Keller International Organisation.

The Permanent Secretary of the National Programme for the Control of Schistosomiasis and Intestinal Helminthiasis, Professor Louis-Albert Tchuem Tchuente said all schools in the country have already received the drugs which will be given to pupils during the campaign. He also added that teachers and health workers have been trained and given instructions on how to distribute drugs which aim at reducing the number of parasites in each child.