Parents in Kiambu County have been urged to deworm their children, in an effort to prevent worms infections and other related diseases.
Speaking in her office on Tuesday, Mrs Faith Munoru, a nutritionist at the Kiambu district hospital said failure to deworm children could lead to health complications that may result to severe stomach pains and vomiting, and can also affect normal growth and cause malnutrition in children.
She said that most parents were ignorant on the need to de-worm their children, saying that very few parents deworm their children, but occasionally.
"It is worrying that most parents don't deworm their children. This can result to health complications," said Munoru.
According to her, deworming drugs should always be administered to children after every three months to keep them healthy and free from stomach and other related illness.
Mrs Munoru further added that worms could cause anaemia, lethargy and other health problems that derail a child’s development.
She further said that parents can limit their children’s risk of getting infected with worms by simply exercising simple preventive measures such as washing of hands before meals, drinking boiled or filtered water, washing of fruits before eating and to always form a habit of washing their hands after visiting the toilet.
The medic however noted that adults from the region have ignored the need of deworming themselves with a notion that it is meant for children.
She urged them to also embrace the importance of having themselves dewormed and should not focus on their children alone.