By Dominic I. Sanchez
ZAMBOANGA CITY – A
religious group in the city has refused their children to receive the free
Albendazole deworming drug, and prefers to leave their children’s health in
“God’s hands.”
“Yes, there is a religious group in ZamboangaCity which does
not let their children take the drug,” confirmed Dr. Rolando Bucoy, Medical
Officer IV of the Department of Health (DOH), without naming the particular
group, which apparently has hundreds of followers here.
It can be recalled that many parents in the city as well
as in other areas in region 9 were hesitant to let their children take the
state-prescribed albendazole after false information spread regarding the
integrity of the drug. To correct the misinformation, the DOH embarked on an
intense information dissemination campaign, especially in the rural areas.
“We have worked with the schools to correct the wrong
information,” said Dr. Bucoy. The DOH maintains that the drug is very safe and
recognized by the World Health Organization. Adverse effects such as
stomachaches are common to children who ingest the drug without having a meal
at least 2 hours before medication, or to children who already have worm
infestations.
“Government-run hospitals are giving free treatment to
those who exhibit the adverse effects,” Dr. Bucoy added.
The DOH has extended the deworming from one day in all
public schools to one month, throughout July. “We cannot do this in one
day only,” Dr. Bucoy said, citing the lack of manpower to closely monitor
reactions to the drug.
He expresses optimism that more children this time will
take the drug, as more and more parents were given clarification during
information-dissemination campaigns. “They have realized how the drug benefits
the children to enable them to have a healthy growth,” he said.