Eighteen children of Balabhodini school, who were admitted to K.R. Hospital here on Monday following complaints of nausea and vomiting after taking folic acid and vitamin C tablets, were discharged on Tuesday night. According to the school authorities, only a few children developed nausea after taking the tablets, but all 18 children were admitted as a precautionary measure.
The children were given the tablets under the midday meal scheme. The tablets had to be given after the meal but the headmaster distributed them before, with instructions to take the tablets after eating. However, the children took it before the meal and soon after, started feeling nauseous and vomited.
Reform programmeThe children have been accommodated in the school in an excise to reform them and bring them into the education mainstream under the urban deprived children school (UDS) programme, run by a voluntary organisation under the Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan. Senior officials of the Education Department visited the hospital and the school. They warned the headmaster not to give tablets before the meal hereafter, and asked him to take utmost care when it came to the health of the children.
Doctors at the hospital said there were a few reasons the children felt nauseous after taking the tables. They said that the tablets might have been either of poor quality or were contaminated. The children may have been given a higher dose than required, and the third reason might be that the tablets were taken on an empty stomach.
However, the doctors said it was difficult to identify the exact reason.
School authorities and the Education Department said they had fresh stock of medicines and doses had been fixed by a team of doctors. The children were given folic acid and vitamin C tablets as per the recommended dose.
