A major de-worming drive for primary school children is set for launch at the Coast region later this month. The exercises will run until mid February and seeks to eradicate infection among children.

The programme dubbed 'National School-based Deworming Programme targets to cover five million children across the country each year over a five-year period.

Addressing a meeting with news reporters at the Coast Provincial Commissioner's office, Laban Benaya Kilui, the technical coordinator from Deworm the World Initiative, said worms affect many children and interfere with their health and education.

"Children infested with worms have their health affected and their education disrupted," he said.A total of 19 districts from the region will benefit from the programme and drugs for the treatmen funded by the government.