The National Deworming Day (NDD) targets children aged 1–19 years with a single dose of albendazole. Which feature distinguishes the Indian NDD approach from the WHO-recommended preventive chemotherapy model for school-age children?

• A India targets a narrower age group (5–14 years) compared to WHO's 1–15 years
• B India uses mebendazole instead of albendazole as per WHO preference
• C India conducts NDD every 3 months unlike WHO's annual recommendation
• D India extends the target age beyond WHO's school-age definition to include 15–19 year olds and pre-school children (1–5 years) ✓

Explanation

WHO's preventive chemotherapy guidelines primarily target school-age children (SAC) aged 5–14 years. India's NDD, however, extends treatment to pre-school children (1–5 years) through anganwadis/AWCs and to adolescents up to 19 years — a broader approach reflecting India's high soil-transmitted helminth burden across a wider demographic. India uses albendazole 400 mg (not mebendazole). NDD is conducted twice yearly (every 6 months) in high-prevalence states — not every 3 months — in alignment with WHO's recommendation for areas with >50% prevalence.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.