11 students taken ill during de-worming drive

11 students of a Delhi government school were admitted to hospital when they complained of pain in the abdomen and vomiting after being administered tablets today as part of a de-worming drive.
Eight of these children were discharged by evening with Delhi government assuring people that there was no cause for panic as proper measures had been drawn up to deal with any exigencies arising from the campaign.
"The children came to the hospital with symptoms of pain in the abdomen and vomiting after they were administered a tablet for de-worming," a senior doctor at Hindu Rao Hospital, said.
The students of Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in north Delhi's Vijay Nagar, three aged below 12 years, were admitted to the paediatric department of the hospital, while remaining eight, above 12 years, were admitted to the medicine ward.

"Though these were mild symptoms, we admitted them for mandatory observation as directed by the government. By evening, the symptoms had gone and eight students have already been discharged," the doctor said, adding, three children are still under observation.
He said that in line with any mass-based public health initiative, Delhi government had devised comprehensive adverse event protocols for the de-worming drive.

Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said, "Uneasiness and dizziness are part of the medication process, especially for the children who suffer from severe worm problems.
"If anything happens to the children after being given the de-worming medicine, we have advised the school authorities not to keep them in school but admit them to hospital."

Jain had yesterday flagged off the state-wide de-worming campaign for children in schools and anganwadis. As many as 3.7 million children were to have been covered under the drive, which was conducted at 3,032 schools and 11,500 anganwadis today. A mop-up day for the campaign is scheduled for April 20.
As part of the programme, Albendazole was administered to school-age children in government and government-aided schools.
World Health Organisation recommends regular de-worming of children in areas where parasitic worms are endemic.