At least 64 students of Government Science Secondary School, Batagarawa, in Katsina State, have been hospitalised after developing adverse reactions following the administration of drugs during a bilharzia prevention and treatment exercise.
The affected students were taken to Ahmadi Rimi General Hospital and Turai Yar’Adua Maternal and Child Hospital after experiencing symptoms including vomiting, abdominal discomfort and dizziness.
The incident reportedly sparked panic among parents and members of the school community, particularly after some students were said to have arrived at the hospital unconscious.
Students Responding to Treatment
The Medical Director of Ahmadi Rimi General Hospital, Dr Auwal Sani, confirmed that some of the students were unconscious on arrival but said they were responding positively to treatment.
He explained that the students’ heights were measured before the drugs were administered to determine the appropriate dosage.
Two affected students, Abubakar Muhammad and Hassan Muhammad, said the number of tablets given to students varied. According to them, some received three tablets, others two, while some were given one tablet, depending on their height.
A parent, Ma’aruf Sani, who visited his children in the hospital, said they had fully recovered from the reactions.
The Katsina State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Yusuf Sulaiman Jibia, also confirmed the incident during a telephone conversation, stating that all the affected students had recovered.
“The affected students have fully recovered, and we are making arrangements for their return to school,” Jibia said.
Katsina Government to Investigate Incident
The commissioner explained that the drug administration exercise was carried out by the Primary Health Care Authorities in collaboration with Batagarawa Local Government Area.
He assured parents and residents that there was no cause for alarm, adding that the state government would investigate the incident to establish what went wrong.
Jibia also disclosed that food was being provided for the students before their return to school.
Bilharzia, also known as schistosomiasis, is a parasitic disease commonly associated with contact with contaminated freshwater. Preventive treatment programmes are conducted in affected communities to reduce the burden and spread of the disease.
However, the exact cause of the reactions experienced by the students remains unclear.
As of the time of filing this report, no official findings had been released to establish whether the incident resulted from reactions to the medication, dosage-related issues or other factors.
The incident has raised concerns about the need to establish what happened during the exercise and ensure the safety of students participating in public health treatment programmes.
