WFP begins effort to rid school children of parasites

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) started on Friday a two-year effort to rid primary school children of parasites in four provinces in the Central African Republic, WFP representative David Bulman told IRIN. The schools are in the provinces of Ombella Mpoko, Lobaye, Kemo and Nana Grebizi. The three-classroom Gbaloko Primary School, 16 km outside the capital, Bangui, is the first to benefit from the programme, which will provide the anti-parasitic drugs Mebendazole and Praziquantel to the students twice a year. Bulman said WFP nutritionist Willy Mpoy wa Mpoy had trained teachers in the four provinces on administration of the drugs that would be received by 16,000 children in 63 schools during the first year of application. Mpoy wa Mpoy said 120 schools would be covered in the second year. "With these drugs, a child resists parasites for six months," he told IRIN. He said that the drugs had no side effects. The Canadian-sponsored programme had been planned since 2002 but could not be implemented because of civil strife in the country. Gbaloko Primary School Principal Isaac Danze told IRIN, "Children are frequently absent from class due to parasites and many of those who come are weak due to them." He said that parasites were the reason why 10 percent to 15 percent of the 808 students at Gbaloko Primary repeated a school year. The mother of one of these students, Sidonie Wayina, said her four children at the school suffered periodically from parasites, which took up to one month to treat. On average she spends up to 3,000 francs CFA (US $6) for tests and treatment each time one of her children contracts parasites. She blamed the problem on the lack of safe drinking water in the village of 10,000. "With this programme I hope my children will no longer be absent for a long time and that I will be able to save some money," she said.