PHARMACOVIGILANCE JOINS HANDS WITH NATIONAL DEWORMING PROGRAMME IN ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS.

Dr. Priyanka Hotha, Dr. C. Dinesh M. Naidu*, Nimisha Elezebeth Zachariah

ABSTRACT

Background: In India, preschool and school going children are expected to have a risk of soil transmitted helminthes worm infection. On national deworming day (NDD), tablet Albendazole was given to school going children to protect them from worm infection through a single fixed day approach. Objective: The aim of this study is to safeguard the health of children and adolescents against worm infection by monitoring as well as reporting ADRs against tablet Albendazole 400mg and thereby promoting drug safety and compliance. Methods: An email was received at the ADR monitoring centre, Port Blair from the National Health Programme division of National Coordinating Centre, PvPI, IPC, directing the AMC personnel to monitor the adverse events occurring due to the administration of tablet Albendazole 400mg on NDD. They also instructed to sensitize all the health care workers and school staffs involved in the National deworming Programme regarding the role and importance of pharmacovigilance in promoting drug safety and also train them to monitor, collect and report the ADRs from the schools and notify them to ADR Monitoring Centre. Result: This was an observation study. We included a total of 6 schools which were nearby the ADR monitoring centre. Out of them we found a total 10 ADRs which equally affected male and female students. Nausea, vomiting and stomach ache were the most commonly reported ADRs. Conclusion: Using focused pharmacovigilance programme, it is feasible to ensure safety against Albendazole in community programmes like the National Deworming Programme. Hence, for a safe deworming programme, PvPI should be collaborated as a routine activity, to ensure safety against Albendazole.

Keywords: Adverse Drug Reaction, Pharmacovigilance, Albendazole, National Deworming Programme.