Students fall ill from massive deworming campaign in Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Hundreds, if not thousands of students were reported poisoned or fell ill on Wednesday from deworming medicines given by their schools in southern Philippines as part of the government’s National School Deworming Day. 

The campaign was launched by the Department of Health and targeted some 16 million elementary students in 38,000 public schools across the country. 

Initial reports from various media sources said the poisoning occurred in the towns of Manukan, Pinan, Dipolog, Osmena, and Rizal in Zamboanga del Norte province; and also in Tukuran, Bayog, Midsalip, Siay and Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur. There were also reports of poisoning in the towns of Lala, Maranding and Kapatagan in Lanao del Norte, and Iligan City. 

In the town of Midsalip, one mother - Mecsjams Lariosa said three of her children and a niece were poisoned by the medicines given at their school. She said the government should conduct an investigation into the incident. 

“Ipaalam ko lang na tatlo sa mga anak ko at isang pamangkin ko ang nalason dahil sa pinainom na pamurga ng mga teacher. Hindi lang silang apat ang nalason at marami silang mga batang estudyante sa Poblacion B. Midsalip Elementary School sa Zamboanga del Sur ngayon pong umaga nangyari, sana pa-imbestigahan ang teachers doon lalo na yung pinapainom nila pamurga sa mga bata,” she said. (I wanted to inform that three of my children and my niece were poisoned after drinking deworming medicines this morning and there were many other victims – all from the Poblacion B. Midsalip Elementary School in Zamboanga del Sur. This incident must be investigated, especially the teachers who gave the medicines to the children.) 

There were also reports that several school children died from the incidents, but the Department of Health denied this.

Dr. Joshua Brillantes, chief of the Local Health Support Division of the Department of Health regional office, said they have received reports of students complaining of dizziness and abdominal pains after taking the medicines and that they are investigating this incident.

“There were some cases in the municipalities that were reported to us saka yun sa mga hospitals na may mga cases, mga bata na after nakainom ng deworming drugs ay nagkaroon ng mga sakit ng tiyan, pagsusuka at saka nahihilo,” he told radio station E-media in Zamboanga City.

Brillantes has denied reports that some children had died because of the drugs. He did not say what medicines were given, but other reports said it was Benzol (Albendazole), a 400mg chewable tablet. The medicine allegedly had an expiry date marked December 2012.

“May mga kumalat rin na namatay raw, gustong kong ipaalam sa lahat na walang namatay from the provinces. We admit na may mga minor symptoms, we are expecting these mga symptoms like yun pagsusuka kung saan yun maraming bulate o yun loob ng infection ay mataas sa bata usually doon lalabas yun mga symptoms, yun worms are erratic kasi dahil doon sa deworming, usually ang common is abdominal pains, although mayroon tayong mga na-admit sa hospitals yun ay dahil sa pagsusuka so to prevent yun dehydration eh pina-admit sa hospitals,” he said. (There were reports that some of the students died after taking the deworming drugs and I want to tell the public that there were no reports of deaths in the provinces….there were cases of vomiting, but this was due to the reactions of the drugs, especially to those who have worm infestation…and there were students admitted to the hospitals to prevent dehydration.)

Brillantes said they were gathering reports from surveillance officers dispatched in the provinces following the reported effects of the drugs to students who took them.

“So far, unless we have to prove na may kuwan doon sa gamot, meron tayong mga surveillance officers na kumukuha ng mga samples ng gamot para masuri natin ito,” he said.

The deworming campaign in schools was aimed at eliminating so-called soil-transmitted Helminthiasis or intestinal worms among students which can cause poor physical growth and intellectual development and impaired cognitive functions in children and cause anemia and malnutrition. (E. Dumaboc and C. Diabordo)

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