The Cross River State Government has launched the 2026 school-based deworming campaign aimed at protecting thousands of school-age children from intestinal worm infections and improving their health and learning outcomes.

The programme targets children between five and fourteen years old and forms part of wider public health efforts to reduce the burden of neglected tropical diseases that can affect children’s growth, school attendance, and academic performance.

The initiative was discussed during a stakeholders’ workshop organised by Evidence Action at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Centre in Calabar. The engagement brought together journalists, health professionals, and development partners to strengthen awareness and media coverage of neglected tropical diseases.

Speaking at the event, the State Programme Officer for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Veronica Mark, explained that the campaign focuses on eliminating intestinal worm infections that often weaken children’s immune systems and interfere with learning.

According to her, infected children may experience poor concentration, fatigue, and frequent school absence, which ultimately affects their academic progress.

She reassured parents and school administrators that the deworming medicines are safe and completely free, and will be administered by trained teachers and health workers in schools and communities across the state.

Health authorities also encouraged parents to allow their children to participate in the programme, noting that regular deworming is essential for protecting children’s health and ensuring they remain active and focused in school.

Also speaking at the workshop, the Senior Manager of Evidence Action Nigeria and South-South Programme Lead, Eustace Ohaji, said the initiative contributes to global efforts to eliminate neglected tropical diseases by 2030 in line with targets set by the World Health Organization.

Ohaji revealed that the intervention has already recorded significant progress in Cross River State since its introduction in 2016. Data from an assessment conducted with the Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria shows that soil-transmitted worm infections have reduced by nearly 48.5 percent, while schistosomiasis cases have dropped by 76 percent.

The current phase of the campaign will run for five days, focusing mainly on soil-transmitted helminth infections. Treatment for schistosomiasis will be carried out in a separate round at a later time.

To ensure safety during the exercise, trained teachers and health workers have been deployed to participating schools, and each school has been linked to nearby health facilities in case pupils experience mild side effects.

The Cross River State Government was also commended for providing financial support for the intervention, which will help sustain ongoing efforts to eliminate neglected tropical diseases in the region.

Out of the state’s 18 local government areas, fourteen have been identified as eligible for mass administration of deworming medicines due to disease prevalence. The current phase will focus on seven local government areas, while the remaining areas will be covered in future rounds.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Cross River State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Archibong Bassey, described the programme as an important intervention for improving children’s health and educational outcomes. She encouraged parents, schools, and community leaders to support the initiative and ensure that every eligible child benefits from the campaign.

Evidence Action currently supports deworming initiatives that reach more than six million school-age children across Nigeria every year, and the organisation reports that over 44 million children have received treatment since 2016.

Deworming involves the use of medicines such as Albendazole or Mebendazole to eliminate parasitic worms including hookworm, roundworm, and tapeworm. Health experts say regular deworming is a critical public health measure because untreated infections can lead to malnutrition, anaemia, stunted growth, and poor learning outcomes in children.