64 students hospitalised after reacting to Bilharzia treatment drugs in Katsina

No fewer than 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 treatment and prevention exercise.

Channels TV reports that the affected students were rushed to Ahmadi Rimi General Hospital and Turai Yar’Adua Maternal and Child Hospital in Katsina after they developed symptoms including vomiting, abdominal discomfort and dizziness.

The incident reportedly caused panic among parents and members of the school community, especially after some of the students were said to have been brought to the hospital unconscious.

The Medical Director of Ahmadi Rimi General Hospital, Dr Auwal Sani, confirmed that some of the students arrived at the facility unconscious but added that they were responding positively to treatment.

He explained that the drugs were administered after the students’ heights were measured to determine the appropriate dosage.

Two of the affected students, Abubakar Muhammad and Hassan Muhammad, revealed that the number of tablets given to students varied, with some receiving three tablets, others two, while some were given a single tablet depending on their height.

A parent, Ma’aruf Sani, who visited his children at the hospital, said they had fully recovered from the reactions.