Around 120 students in two districts of Uttar Pradesh were hospitalised after falling ill during a school deworming drive on Tuesday, officials said, though authorities maintained that all the children were stable and the symptoms were likely caused by anxiety rather than faulty medication.
The incidents were reported from Farrukhabad and Mainpuri districts on National Deworming Day, observed on February 10 and August 10 each year for children aged between two and 19.
In Farrukhabad, the episode occurred at Jawahar Lal Prema Devi School in Rathora Mohaddinpur village under the Kamalganj block. Of nearly 150 students who were administered Albendazole tablets, about 100 complained of headache and vomiting shortly afterwards, causing panic among parents and school authorities.
Officials said 33 students were taken to the Community Health Centre in Kamalganj, while 67 others were shifted to Lohia Hospital at the district headquarters.
District Magistrate Ashutosh Kumar Dwivedi visited Lohia Hospital to review the situation and directed doctors to ensure proper treatment.
Chief Medical Officer Avanindra Kumar said the deworming campaign had been conducted across schools in the district and the complaints were limited to this particular institution. “All the students are stable and their condition is now normal,” he said.
The district magistrate added that the tablets had been distributed district-wide and similar complaints were not reported elsewhere. “There could be some other reason behind the sudden illness,” he said.
In Mainpuri, nearly two dozen students at a government composite school in Nagla Keeratpur also reported feeling unwell. Chief Medical Officer R C Gupta said the children were taken to hospital, where most were discharged after treatment.
According to Gupta, two children initially complained of stomach pain, after which several others arrived at the hospital with their parents, possibly due to anxiety. “Most of the children are fine. It does not appear to be a case of negligence. The tablets are safe and the symptoms seemed to be due to panic,” he said, adding that the drive was conducted under administrative supervision.
The incidents triggered political reactions. The Samajwadi Party alleged on social media that the situation reflected a “medical emergency” in the state and claimed that “fake medicines” were administered.
The Aam Aadmi Party accused the administration of systemic negligence and demanded strict action, while the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) alleged that “expired or substandard” medicines were used and that medical care was delayed.
In a statement, ABVP’s Braj secretary Anand Kathariya demanded suspension and legal action against those found guilty, a high-level inquiry, and safeguards to prevent such incidents in the future.
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