TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

The Katsina State Police Command has confirmed that all 154 students who suffered an adverse reaction after taking medication at Government Science Secondary School, Batagarawa, have recovered and been discharged from hospital, with no death recorded.

The students reportedly fell ill on October 26 after receiving Praziquantel tablets administered as part of a treatment programme for bilharzia, a parasitic disease also known as schistosomiasis.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, announced the development in a statement issued on Wednesday, assuring parents and residents that all the affected students had received medical attention.

According to the police, the students were promptly evacuated to hospitals following the incident and placed under medical care.

The command disclosed that the remaining 25 students, who had initially been kept in hospital for further observation and treatment, had also been discharged, bringing the total number of students released from medical care to 154.

“All the affected students are now in good health and have been reunited with their families and schoolmates,” the statement indicated.

The development brings relief to parents and the school community following the incident, which raised concerns over the health of students who reportedly became ill after taking the medication.

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Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Ali Umar Fage, thanked members of the public for their cooperation and calmness throughout the period.

He also cautioned residents against spreading unverified reports and rumours, urging them to rely on credible information when discussing the incident.

The police commissioner reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property across Katsina State.

Although all the affected students have been discharged, the incident has drawn attention to the importance of monitoring students’ health during mass medication exercises, particularly when drugs are administered to large numbers of children.

The circumstances surrounding the reported adverse reactions were not detailed in the police statement.