60 students fall ill after being administered deworming dose in Bihar

More than 60 school students across Bihar fell ill and were hospitalised on Thursday after being administered deworming dose in government schools, an official said. All children were safe and were discharged after preliminary treatment.

The children complained of vomiting and loose motions after being administered the deworming medicine in different schools in Gaya, Nalanda, Munger, Jamui and Lakhisarai districts, said state health department official Rajendra Prasad Ojha.

'All the children were admitted in different hospitals and are now safe, being discharged after preliminary treatment,' he said.

According to reports reaching here, 30 children fell ill in Gaya alone followed by 16 in Nalanda, 12 children in Munger, three in Jamui and two in Lakhisarai districts. (Read: Are our policies to fight child malnutrition deeply flawed?)

Ojha admitted that there must be some mistake on the part of officials concerned, and the health department has ordered an inquiry.

The incident has created panic among guardians of children, school teachers, health officials and district administration as on last July 16, 23 students died after eating poisonous meal in a primary school at Dharmasati Gandaman village in Saran district.

Hundreds of thousands of children were administered deworming dose in the state. Earlier, 22 students had taken ill in UP for the same reason.

With inputs from IANS

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