Nigeria: 154 students hospitalised after bilharzia treatment
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
In Nigeria, 154 students at a public secondary school in Batagarawa, Katsina State, were hospitalised after a suspected adverse reaction to praziquantel administered to treat bilharzia. All were treated and reunited with their families, with no deaths reported, according to Katsina State police.
One hundred and fifty-four students at Government Science Secondary School in Batagarawa, Katsina State, Nigeria, were hospitalised after presenting symptoms attributed to an adverse reaction to praziquantel, a medicine administered to treat bilharzia. The incident occurred on Monday, according to Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, a state police spokesperson, in a statement issued on Wednesday.
No deaths were recorded. The students were treated at hospital and, according to the spokesperson, all are now in good health and have returned to their families and classmates. The 25 students kept under observation were also treated and discharged.
Praziquantel is used to treat bilharzia, a parasitic disease that can be contracted through contact with contaminated fresh water. The state police commissioner, Ali Umar Fage, thanked the public for remaining calm and called on it not to spread unverified rumours.
This latest incident follows the hospitalisation of 64 students after a similar reaction, reported on 27 October.
