Tripura orders probe into students falling ill

Agartala, Feb 12 (IANS) The Tripura government has ordered a probe into 162 school students falling ill after they were administered deworming tablets, a minister said here Thursday.

Tripura Health Minister Badal Chaudhury said that around 162 school students of ten government schools in northern Tripura fell ill Wednesday after they were administered deworming tablets as part of a nation-wide programme.

In all, 77 students were admitted to hospital in Dharmanagar.

"Of the 77 children, four are still in hospital while the remaining have been discharged after medical treatment Wednesday and Thursday. Senior health department officials have been asked to probe into the incident and submit a report to the government," Chaudhury told the state assembly.

The government sent a special medical team comprising specialists to Dharmanagar, located 200 km from state capital Agartala, to provide quick treatments to all affected children.

Chaudhury said: "The deworming tablets were given to a few lakh children across Tripura as per the advice of the union health and family welfare ministry. The remaining children would be given the deworming tablets Friday."

A total of 16 lakh children in Tripura would be given either deworming tablets or syrup under this programme.

The next dose, as per the advice of the union health and family welfare ministry, would be administered after six months, the minister added.

As part of the nationwide programme, deworming tablets were given to all children aged between one and 19 years to mark National Deworming Day Tuesday across the country.

However, the tablets were administered to children in Tripura Wednesday.