New Delhi: A female student of Class 9 at a Delhi government school died on Sunday, allegedly after popping an iron/folic acid supplement.
According to a report, the parents of the girl, who studied at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, claimed that her health deteriorated after she was given her weekly dose of iron supplement at the school in Wazirpur.
The girl had been given the tablets on May 4 along with other students, said Directorate of Education (DOE) officials. Next day, the girl complained of stomach ache and was sent home.
The parents said they took their daughter to a local doctor where she was administered a saline drip. But then her hands started swelling and she was referred to Hindu Rao hospital, where she died.
The AAP-ruled Delhi government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Iron and folic acid tablets are considered extremely safe by doctors. “These tablets are given every Wednesday to school children across Delhi and no adverse reaction has ever been reported,” an official from the health department was quoted as saying. The tablets are given to children who suffer from anaemia, and to pregnant women.
However, adverse reactions to a deworming tablet given along with the iron/folic acid tablets have been reported. This year more than 180 children complained of uneasiness, nausea and abdominal pain from Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh on National Deworming Day.
