Bhubaneswar, Aug 8: In a bid to improve child health, combat anaemia, and tackle parasitic worm infections, the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Odisha, in collaboration with UNICEF, will roll out the National Deworming Day (NDD) and Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) programmes across the state on 12 August 2025.
Alongside these, the Directorate of Public Health will implement the Lymphatic Filariasis – Mass Drug Administration (LF-MDA) programme in select districts, marking a comprehensive public health initiative. The LF-MDA programme involves administering a single dose of anti-filarial drugs to entire communities to stop the spread of lymphatic filariasis.
Under the NDD campaign, Albendazole will be administered to over 1.26 crore children aged 1–19 years and more than 15 lakh women of reproductive age (20–24 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 benefit an estimated 32 lakh children aged 9–60 months aimed at boosting immunity and reducing child mortality and morbidity.
Dr. Rajyashree Patnaik, Director of Family Welfare, said, “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.”
Sourav Bhattacharjee, Nutrition Specialist at UNICEF Odisha, emphasised the integrated nature of the campaign. “By combining deworming with Vitamin A supplementation, the government is making a significant stride toward reducing undernutrition and improving cognitive development in children,” he said, adding that a state-wide helpline — 0674-2391944 — has been set up to assist the public.
LF-MDA will be carried out in 12 districts — Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Sonepur, and Sundargarh. In these areas, children aged 1–2 years will also receive deworming medicine under the NDD initiative.
The large-scale programme will be implemented in government, government-aided, and private schools, as well as Anganwadi centres, with the active involvement of teachers, Anganwadi Workers, and ASHAs. UNICEF will provide technical and logistical support.
The announcement was made at a press conference attended by Dr. Smrutijit Patnaik, Joint Director (Nutrition), and Dr. Sanjay Kumar Sahoo, Nutrition Officer, UNICEF Odisha.
