The dose of deworming tablets (Albendazole) given below 1 year old child is?

Appeared in: Hariyana-CHO-2021

Explanation

Albendazole is not recommended for infants under 12 months of age due to a lack of safety data in this age group.
National and international deworming guidelines, including those from the WHO, initiate mass drug administration with Albendazole starting from the age of 1 year (12 months).
The primary strategy for infants is prevention through improved sanitation and hygiene rather than pharmacological treatment.

Option A: This dose is for a different pediatric age group.
Option B: This dose is for older children and adults.
Option D: This is not a standard or recognized dosage for Albendazole in deworming protocols.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Pediatric dosage of Albendazole for deworming to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
A nurse's primary responsibility is to ensure medication safety, which includes verifying the correct dose for the patient's age and weight. Administering Albendazole to an infant under 1 year would be a medication error.
Patient education is a key nursing role. Nurses should instruct caregivers on how to prevent worm infestations by promoting hand hygiene, safe food and water practices, and the use of footwear.
What if? If a child is exactly 12 months old, the nurse should administer the recommended 200 mg dose (half of a 400 mg tablet), crushing it and mixing it with a small amount of food or water to ensure safe swallowing.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core of the question: the correct dose of Albendazole for an infant under 1 year old.
Recall knowledge from pharmacology and community health nursing regarding national deworming programs.
Remember the specific age contraindication for Albendazole, which is a critical safety point.
Evaluate the options based on this key piece of information. The option 'Not to be given' directly aligns with the contraindication for children under 12 months.
Confirm that the other dosage options (200 mg and 400 mg) are for older age groups (1-2 years and >2 years, respectively), reinforcing the correctness of the chosen answer.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Pediatric dosage of Albendazole for deworming.
Stem keywords: dose, deworming, Albendazole, below 1 year old child
Lead-in keywords: is
Clinical cues: Age/sex group narrows the expected diagnosis, intervention, or normal reference range.
Negative lead-in flag: false

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E6 Ghai Essential Pediatrics(pp 26-904 of 913) p. 846-848

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart B (pp 202-403 of 604) p. 101-103

Practise the full Hariyana-CHO-2021

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.