Around 40 students from a school in Nainidanda block, Kumaon region, Uttarakhand, fell sick after taking iron folic acid (IFA) tablets provided by the state health department workers at Government Inter College Kochiar. The incident prompted Health Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat to order an investigation into the matter.
Immediately after ingesting the IFA tablets, the students began experiencing abdominal pain and headaches. The affected children were promptly taken to hospitals in Dhumakot and Nainidanda by ambulance. Among them, 10 children’s conditions worsened, and they were admitted, with three of them being in critical condition.
Afsar Hussain, the school Principal, stated that the iron folic acid medicine was supplied to the school during the last week of April and first week of May through the National Health Mission (NHM) of the health department. The medicine was administered to the children every Saturday as per the health department’s instructions. Approximately 140 students from classes 6 to 12 received the iron-folic acid tablets, and while most of them had no issues, around 40 experienced deteriorating health.
Block Education Officer Abhishek Shukla revealed that as soon as the children’s health declined, the health department was called to the school. Subsequently, the affected students were transported to primary health center Dhumakot and community health center Nainidanda via ambulance. Presently, four children are under medical care at Dhumakot Hospital, and six are being supervised at Nainidanda Hospital.
The situation has raised concerns and prompted an inquiry into the cause of the adverse reactions to the iron folic acid tablets. Authorities are diligently monitoring the health of the affected students and investigating the incident to ensure the safety of future medical interventions in schools.
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