64 Students Hospitalised After Bilharzia Treatment Campaign In Katsina
At least 64 students were hospitalized after experiencing severe illness during a bilharzia prevention and treatment campaign at a secondary school in Katsina State, northern Nigeria.
The affected students, from Government Science Secondary School in Batagarawa, exhibited symptoms including vomiting, abdominal pain, and dizziness following the administration of medication during the campaign.
Video footage recorded on Wednesday showed students lying on hospital beds, with some receiving intravenous fluids while family members attended to them.
Samira Muhammad, a mother of one of the hospitalized students, expressed her distress upon learning that her child was in critical condition. “We were told that our children were in hospital, fighting for their lives. Most of them were unconscious and slipping into comas. We rushed to the hospital and found them in critical condition,” she said.
One student, Aminu Sa’id, recounted his experience, stating that he regained consciousness only after being taken to the hospital. “I was brought to the hospital unconscious. I only realized I was in a hospital bed after regaining consciousness,” he added.
Another student, Anas Muhammad, noted that the medication dosages varied based on each student’s height. “They measured our height because the dosage was based on height. Some students were given three tablets, others five, while some received two and a half,” he explained.
In light of the incident, Katsina State authorities have launched an investigation. Health officials are working to determine the cause of the students’ adverse reactions.
State health authorities announced on Wednesday that more than 80 percent of the affected students had been discharged, while eight remain under medical care. The investigation aims to identify what triggered the reported reactions after the medication was administered.
Bilharzia, or schistosomiasis, is a parasitic disease contracted through contact with freshwater contaminated by infected parasites. Preventive treatment campaigns are typically conducted in affected areas, especially among schoolchildren, to reduce the spread and impact of the disease. However, the exact cause of the illnesses reported in Batagarawa has not yet been determined, and no conclusion has been made linking the students’ conditions to a specific drug or dosage error.
