Patna, February 25 Several school students fell ill during a campaign to eliminate lymphatic filariasis in Patna district, Bihar, on Wednesday, an official said.
The incident occurred in Ganpat Rai Tola, a locality in Athmalgola, when the students consumed medication as part of the Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign and subsequently fell ill, he said.
The illness is reportedly a side effect of Albendazole, the medication administered to the students under the MDA programme, according to the health department official.
"Several children fell ill at a primary school in Ganpat Rai Tola, where our MDA campaign was underway. They are now safe and have no complications," the medical officer at Athmalgola CHC told reporters.
A Quick Response Team (QRT) and an ambulance were immediately dispatched to the school.
All the children who were slightly ill were taken to a hospital and treated, he added.
"The programme has been running for several days now, and no one has experienced any problems. The medication is being administered across Bihar," the medical officer said.
Filariasis is a parasitic infection caused by thread-like nematodes (worms) and is primarily transmitted to humans through bites of infected mosquitoes.
