A national de-worming exercise for children in basic public schools is to begin from February 12 to 16 2007. The exercise sponsored by UNICEF is targeting at 4.5m children between the ages of 5 and 14 in over 28,000 public schools across the country. The de-worming exercise is aimed at reducing worm infestation in children that often causes serious health problems and loss of concentration in children. Launching the programme in Accra, the Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Kwame Ampofo Twumasi said the exercise will contribute to improving the academic performance of school children. He said intestinal worms account for about 12% of the disease burden for school children in Ghana. This causes serious health problems and impact negatively on the child's ability to attend school and perform well. Mr. Ampofo Twumasi said chronic infestation can lead to long term retardation of mental and physical development and sometimes death. He said although the exercise will help reduce the situation, there is the need for public education on positive hygiene practices to prevent the incidence of worm infestation. Mr. Ampofo Twumasi said the exercise will be carried out twice every year to ensure good health among school children. The Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosah said worm infestation is a major contributor to malnutrition in children and often causes serious health problems. He said the health of children is paramount in any nation and the exercise will ensure that the country"s future leaders are strong and healthy. Prof. Akosah also urged parents and teachers to educate children on good personal hygiene. The UNICEF Chief of Child Health and Nutrition, Mark Young said there will be two rounds of de-worming. The first round will include the treatment for soil transmitted worms and the second round will be for the treatment of water transmitted worms.