No need to worry: Government on deworming tablet side-effect

NEW DELHI: Seeking to play down reports of around 200 children falling sick after consuming deworming tablets, the government today said there is "no need to worry or panic" as this medicine has "mild side-effects" on one to two per cent of the children for a short time.

The affected children were taken to hospitals in Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana and Chhattisgarh as they complained of uneasiness after being administered the tablets on the occasion of National Deworming Day.

"The medicine sometimes causes mild side-effects, particularly if it taken on empty stomach or if there are many worms inside a child's gut. Symptoms like vomiting or nausea may occur in one or two per cent cases," Health Minister J P Nadda told reporters at the launch of Malaria Elimination Framework.

Around 27 crore children were administered deworming tablets yesterday.

"I want to assure the parents that there is no need to worry or panic. None of the cases reported was a serious one. All of them are being closely monitored. It was a huge programme where around 27 crore children were given deworming tablets," he said.

Under the nationwide deworming programme, schoolchildren aged between 1 and 19 years were given Albendazole tablet.