According to a joint survey recently conducted by the Ministry of National Health and the World Health Organization in 40 districts across the country, some 17 million children between the ages of five and 15 years are at the risk of catching soil-transmitted helminth infections (STH). These infections are caused by parasitic worms thriving in unhygienic conditions from where they find their way into children's intestines afflicting them with problems like abdominal pain, diarrhoea, blood and protein loss, rectal prolapse, also resulting in mental and physical growth retardation. As many as 4.6 million children are reported to be affected by STH in Karachi alone. The Sindh Education Department has decided to respond to the problem by asking private schools to provide details of teaching staff and number of students in the next few days as to launch a de-worming campaign in the city by the end of this month. It is expected to be extended to other areas as well.
There are some other serious issues as well. Pakistan is among the five countries with the highest child mortality rate. And 38 percent of children under the age of five years suffer from stunted growth. As per last year's National Nutrition Survey, four in ten under five children are stunted, and nearly two out of every ten children under five also suffer from wasting. This should worry all who have the power to change things for the better. Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly been lamenting the fact that Pakistan is one of the top five countries where so many children fail to realize the full potential because of malnutrition. Growth retardation, however, is not only the result of malnutrition it is also correlated to poor sanitary conditions, unhygienic environment and contaminated water. Although over the years extreme poverty has reduced considerably, in many areas, especially in rural Sindh, people still fetch drinking water from the same stagnant pools that the cattle bathe in and drink from. Another problem is open defecation. Health experts point out that fecal pathology can hurt intestines, making more difficult the absorption of nutrients.
De-worming campaign in schools is an important initiative but it won't cover all the affected children. Besides, there is no cure for stunting. Long-term remedial measures are in order to deal with STH as well as growth retardation in our future generations. Towards that end, the federal and provincial governments need to adopt a long-term strategy, ensuring that no child endures ill health or is left behind in life due to problems that are preventable. All must have a right to a healthy environment in which to grow and contribute to the national endeavor for socio-economic progress.
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