Side effects normal, Iron tablet drive to continue: Har govt

Mild side effects were not unusual in those who take Iron and Folic Acid tablets, official sources said today even as they ruled out halting a drive to administer the same in Haryana government schools after some students complained of unease after taking the pills.
The remaining phases of the weekly drive would see doctors present at hand to look after cases of sudden illness amongst students who have been given the pills, state government officials said.
Hundreds of students had been taken ill yesterday and on Monday after being given the tablets.
"There is no need to panic about the Iron and Folic Acid tablets because it is medically accepted that mild side effects cannot be ruled out as a result of taking them," said Pushpa Bishnoi, the Chief Medical Officer for Gurgaon.

She appealed to parents to motivate their children to continue taking these pills, which are a "must for eradicating anaemia".
As per a World Health Organisation (WHO) study, 100mg Iron and 0.5mg Folic Acid is necessary every week for adolescents for proper growth of their mind and body, she added.

"Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplement (WIFS) programme will continue and coming Monday, teams of doctors and nurses will keep making rounds of those areas where students reported stomach aches after taking these tablets," she said.
A total of 62,853 students were given these pills in Gurgaon district and out of them, only 163 students reported mild problems of stomach ache or giddiness, she said.

She said it is important that the students come to school only after having eaten some solid food when they are due to take the tablets.