More than 80 percent of secondary school students affected by adverse reactions during a routine Bilharzia treatment exercise in Katsina State have been discharged and returned to classes.
The health update follows a sudden medical emergency at Government Science Secondary School, Batagarawa, which saw dozens of pupils hospitalized with acute nausea, dizziness, and stomach pains shortly after taking administered deworming medication.
Katsina State Health Commissioner, Hon. Musa Adamu Funtua, confirmed that out of 64 hospitalized students, only eight remain under observation at Ahmadi Rimi Specialist Hospital. Medical directors noted that the solitary student still receiving intravenous fluids actually tested positive for malaria rather than drug toxicity.
“Every child in our community is our collective responsibility, and no administration would ever place young lives in harm’s way”, Funtua stated, reassuring parents that the mass deworming drive was a standard preventive health measure.
Preliminary findings indicate that an operational delay between breakfast and drug administration left many students taking the strong medication on an empty stomach.
While a state-appointed investigative panel reviews height-based dosage logs and field protocols, health officials emphasize that rapid emergency evacuations prevented serious complications, allowing the vast majority of students to safely resume their daily academic schedules.
