The Departments of Basic Education and Health endorse regular deworming of learners. The deworming programme was launched on 16 February 2016. Deworming is currently rolled out with the Human Papillomavirus Vaccination (HPV) programme to ensure direct and/or indirect supervision of educators by professional nurses available at schools.

South Africa is a signatory to World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution 54.19 (May 2001), which calls for regular, synchronised treatment of worms in high-risk groups. The goal is to attain a minimum target of regular administration of deworming medication to at least 75% of school-age children and up to 100% of those at risk of morbidity.

Minister of Basic Education announced in her budget vote speech that DBE will deworm learners. Subsequently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) donated 7m Mebendazole 500mg tablets for this purpose. Samples of these tablets were quality assured by Johnson and Johnson in Portugal and a certificate of analysis indicating compliance was issued.

The South African Medicines Control Council approved receipt of the medication. The Medicines Control Council approved that educators may provide deworming tablets to learners under the indirect supervision of a professional nurse.

Deworming tablets are completely safe. In rare occasions, mild side effects may occur. More serious side effects are extremely rare. The side effects, if any, are likely to disappear within two hours. In addition, the WHO and the Department of Health officials assure that the Mebendazole 500mg tablets are safe even for those learners that are using chronic medication.

Through the support of the Department of Health, the MCC granted permission that educators can deworm learners under the supervision of a qualified nurse. The deworming tablets are considered to be safe, as they are registered as a Schedule 1 tablet, which anybody can access over the counter and administer independently. As such, there are no known severe side effects of the deworming tablets, if there are any.

Educators were orientated on worm infestations and the deworming process. The school health nurse will be available on site to mitigate side effects. All parents are required to give consent by signing a consent form. Consent is optional.

There are various legal principles that exclude liability of an educator. The following principles exclude liability:

1.     As this is a voluntary programme, the legal principle of volenti non fit injuria (a willing person is not wronged) will be applicable. In this regard, the parents consented to the medication being provided to their children.
2.     The educators acted within the course and scope of their employment. The principle of vicarious liability will be applicable. In terms of this principle the employer will be held liable for any damages claimed.
3.     Liability of educators is excluded in terms of section 60(1) of the South African Schools Act. The Act  “the state is liable for any delictual or contractual damage or loss called as a result of any act or omission in connection with any school activity conducted by a public school and for which such public school would have been liable but for the provision of this Act.”
4.     The educators cannot be held liable for the products of a pharmaceutical company. Section 61 of the Consumer Protection Act provides that each of the producer, importer, distributor or retailer of a particular product is strictly liable for any harm caused where the product was unsafe, had a product failure, defect or hazard arising from or associated with the use of the product. Hence the MCC condition to have the tablets tested before use.

Issued by Department of Basic Education