By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent
SOME 14 school children were rushed to government hospitals in the city on Wednesday after suffering the side effects of deworming tablets given by the Department of Health (DOH).
Councilor Dante Pajo, chairman of the city council’s health committee, said the children were not supposed to take the antiparasitic tablets on empty stomachs.
“Ang findings sa mga doctors, walay sulod ang tiyan sa maong mga bata sa dihang mi-inom sila sa maong tambal,” said Pajo.
He said he was told by DOH officials that parents were informed about the effects of the antiparasitic Albendazole tablets beforehand especially on children with empty stomachs.
He said that before the nationwide deworming on Wednesday, the DOH and Department of Education (Deped) briefed parents about the tablet’s effects.
“Ma-o man gani to nga 10 am sila gipa-inom sa maong tambal aron pagsiguro gyud nga ang mga bata naka-snack na o nakapamahaw nang da-an,” said Pajo.
He said the DOH and Deped did not fail in informing parents and the children about the deworming activity. The effects include nausea, vomiting, epigastric distress, stomach pain, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, fever, chilling, soar throat, unusual bruising or bleeding, add rashes or hives, among others.
Officials said five school children, with ages seven to eight years, were rushed to the JR Borja General Hospital while nine others ended up at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) after taking the 400-milligram tablets. Richie Bahi-an complained that she had to rush her three-year old child to the NMMC after she complained of severe stomach pain.
At the City Central School, principal Arnold Tejero, said some 4,300 school children took the tablet, and only one was brought to the hospital.
Because of that one case, she said, over four thousand others attending afternoon classes no longer took the tablets.
Carmelo Paderangga, a nurse at the City Central School, said parents were asked to give their consent before the pupils were made to take Albendazole tablets which formed part of the DOH’s information dissemination campaign before simultaneous deworming activities.
Disclaimer
Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.
