New Delhi, March 12 - Twenty-one states in the country have started School Health Programme to improve the health of children and prevent recurrence of diseases.

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Panabaka Lakshmi informed Lok Sabha Wednesday that the common diseases that occur among schoolchildren are measles, diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, tuberculosis, chickenpox, worm infestations and sepsis.

\'The steps taken by the government to prevent diseases among schoolchildren is to provide support for School Health Programmes in each and every district of the country based on the specific proposals prepared as part of the District Health Action Plans,\' she said.

Currently 21 states have initiated the programme and they have taken key steps, which will help improve the health of schoolchildren and prevent recurrence of such diseases, she added.

The states that have started the programme are Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Kerala, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Assam, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Tripura.

Under the programme, children are taught about good nutrition practices and health education, regular health check-ups, provision for corrective action and provision of secondary and tertiary care help, if required.

Also, medicines for de-worming and vitamin A supplements are arranged.