BOTHA-BOTHE — Botha-Bothe will join three other districts in a deworming campaign scheduled to start next month, following a district sampling exercise which found that 99.2 percent of the children sampled had different types of intestinal worms.

In an interview with the Agency, Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Team Lead, Mrs Limpho Mojakisane, explained that Botha-Bothe, Thaba-Tseka, Leribe and Qacha’s Nek are the four districts that will participate in the deworming campaign after a recent study showed a high prevalence of worms among children.

She explained that community mobilisation for the campaign will commence from September 30 to October 9, 2026, while the actual deworming exercise will take place from October 12 to 23, 2026. Mrs Mojakisane said children aged between six and 15 years will be administered Albendazole tablets, which are used to treat intestinal worm infections.

She added that children aged between six and nine years will also receive Tetanus-Diphtheria (Td) booster vaccines, while girls aged nine to 14 years will receive the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to help prevent cervical cancer.
She, however, noted that children will first be screened to determine their eligibility for the vaccines, unlike the Albendazole tablets, which will be administered to all children within the specified age group.

“We call upon all parents to take note of the campaign and make sure their children do not miss the opportunity to get protected through these tablets and vaccines. We will be going to all schools in Botha-Bothe during this campaign to make sure that all children are covered,” she said.

Meanwhile, Botha-Bothe Health Nutritionist, Mrs Eunice Letsae, explained that intestinal worms can be dangerous to children as they may contribute to stunting and anaemia. She said children infected with worms may experience skin irritation or itchiness around the buttocks, while some types of worms may also be visible in stool.

Mrs Letsae advised parents to take the deworming campaign seriously to prevent children from growing up without receiving appropriate treatment for worm infections.

During the sampling exercise conducted in the district, 253 children provided stool samples. The results showed the presence of roundworms, whipworms and hookworms among the children sampled.