SHILLONG, Aug 3: Close on the heels of the incident at the Kyntiew Shaphrang Higher Secondary School, Laitlyngkot, where 21 students had fallen sick after swallowing Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets, the Health department is getting the samples tested at the Central Drugs Testing Lab in Guwahati.
Director of Health Services (MCH&FW) Dr Lema Challam said the Drugs Inspector of East Khasi Hills collected the samples from the batch of the IFA tablets and sent them to the Guwahati lab.
“We are awaiting the report. Unless we have it, it will be difficult to come to any conclusion,” Dr Challam told The Shillong Times.
She said a team of the Health department comprising Additional District Health Medical Officer of East Khasi Hills, Block Medical Officer and officials from the National Health Mission, Meghalaya, had visited the Laitlyngkot PHC, where the ailing students were admitted, to probe the case.
Dr Challam said the team spoke to the medical officer and the teachers of the school to get an insight into the case.
Of the 123 students, 72, including 32 boys and 40 girls, had agreed to take the IFA tablets, she said.
The children had taken the tablets after lunch. Initially, one had collapsed and was kept under observation at the school, she said, adding, three others had also fallen ill and all four were rushed to the PHC located near the school.
“In the evening, another 17 students complained of nausea and stomach problems. All of them were shifted to the PHC. The doctors had checked their pulse and BP. Some were kept under observation in the PHC and they were given symptomatic treatment. All of them were discharged after their health condition was found to be stable,” Dr Challam said.
She also said that the minor side effects of any medicine, if taken without food, would lead to gas irritation, nausea and stomach ache which is normal.
“It is for this reason we have advised that the IFA tablet should be taken only after food,” the DHS (MCH&FW) said.
She said the tablets were procured by the Health department and distributed to the DMHO.
As a normal practice, she said the DMHO then distributes the tablets to the Medical Officers and the Medical Officers distribute them to SSA Block Coordinators.
“There is a nodal teacher in every school to look into the Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) which was started in 2013. In the past, there were mild side effects but the same is rare. This is the first time that such a large number of students had fallen ill after taking the IFA tablets,” Dr Challam said.
According to her, the objective of the WIFS is to reduce the prevalence and severity of anemia in the adolescent population (10-19 years). The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had launched the WIFS programme to combat this challenge.
The long-term goal of the programme is to break the intergenerational cycle of anemia. The short-term benefit is of a nutritionally-improved human capital. The programme is implemented across the country.
Earlier, the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) had demanded a judicial probe into the incident.
“There is a need to institute a judicial probe to find out what went wrong. We need to fix responsibility on the people responsible for this,” KHADC Chief Executive Member Titosstarwell Chyne had said.
Stating that he is concerned about the health of children, he said such an incident should not recur in other schools.
