Katsina Students Recover as Families Welcome all 154 Home After Drug Reaction Scare

Parents in Katsina State can breathe easier. All 154 students of Government Science Secondary School (Boarding), Batagarawa, who suffered adverse reactions to a drug given at school have been fully treated and sent home, and no one died, the state police command has confirmed.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Katsina, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, said the last 25 students still in school have been treated, discharged, and reunited with their families and schoolmates. He added that all the affected students are in good health and fine spirits.

The update came on Wednesday evening, following an earlier police press release on the incident.

Commissioner of Police, CP Ali Umar Fage, thanked residents for their cooperation and calm. He urged the public to disregard unverified rumours and fake news, particularly reports alleging deaths in the school. He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property.

The Katsina State Government said over 80% of the students had been discharged as of Wednesday morning. The Commissioner for Health, Hon. Musa Adamu Funtua, and the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Yusuf Sulaiman Jibia, said an investigation is ongoing to determine the root cause of the reaction.

The trouble began after a Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) treatment and prevention exercise. The school’s principal, Sanusi Maude, had reported an outbreak of bilharzia at the school.

Health officials from the Primary Health Care Authorities, working with Batagarawa Local Government, gave Praziquantel tablets to more than 700 students in two batches.

The first batch, on Friday, October 24, had no reactions. The second batch, on Monday, October 26, did. Students suffered severe vomiting, abdominal discomfort and dizziness, and some arrived at the hospital unconscious.

At about 4:20 pm on October 26, the Divisional Police Officer for Batagarawa received a distress call. The 154 affected students were evacuated to General Hospital Katsina, Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital and Turai Yar’Adua Children’s Hospital.

Earlier, the Medical Director of Amadi Rimi General Hospital, Dr Auwal Sani, confirmed that some students arrived unconscious but were responding positively to treatment. He noted that the dosage was determined by height measurement.