Himachal Pradesh News : Five Students Fall Ill After Iron Tablets at Nurpur School, Health Dept Orders Probe

Five students of a private senior secondary school near Nurpur fell ill after consuming iron folic acid tablets at their school on Thursday, triggering panic among parents who rushed their children to hospitals in Nurpur and Pathankot.

According to available information, the iron folic acid supplements were supplied by the Health Department to MCS Senior Secondary School at Raja Ka Bagh under the Centre-sponsored Iron Folic Acid Supplementation programme for schoolchildren.

Although the supplements were administered to nearly 550 students at the school, only five reported symptoms of gastritis.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Vivek Karol said the affected children had consumed the tablets on an empty stomach, whereas the supplement is meant to be taken after meals. He added that the Drug Inspector in Nurpur has been directed to place the entire stock of the supplement, stored at the Health Department’s Gangath facility, on hold. Samples will be sent for laboratory testing to rule out any issues related to the quality or efficacy of the medicine.

“The next course of action will be decided after receiving the laboratory test reports,” the CMO said.

Meanwhile, Block Medical Officer (BMO) Nurpur Dr Dilwar Singh said that three of the affected students were treated in the outpatient department of the Civil Hospital, Nurpur, while one girl student was admitted to the emergency ward. “After treatment, she was kept under observation for a few hours and discharged in the evening. Another student, who was taken by his parents to a private hospital in Pathankot, was also discharged later in the day,” he said.

He added that all five students had fully recovered by Thursday evening and there was no cause for concern.

Drug Inspector Nurpur Pyar Chand Thakur said the existing stock of iron folic acid tablets at the Gangath store was being frozen and samples would be collected for laboratory testing on Friday.

Repeated attempts to contact the principal of MCS Senior Secondary School were unsuccessful as her mobile phone was found to be switched off.

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