70 students take ill after swallowing anti-malaria pills

The Health Department staff had been distributing anti-malaria tablets in the village as the disease surfaced in the area recently. The tablets were distributed to students of fifth standard to seventh standard on Monday.

Students who had consumed the tablets, complained of fatigue, vomiting and giddiness as soon as they came to school on Tuesday morning. They were soon shifted to government hospital by ambulances. Anxious parents too rushed to the hospital. All the children are stated to be out of danger.

Teachers, Block Education Officer Jairaj and his staff camped at the hospital. Zilla Panchayat chief executive officer G V Ranga Rao and DDPI Prahlada Gowda too visited the hospital to inquire the health of children.

District Health Officer Dr Prakash and Taluk Medical Officer Dr Srinivas said the incident was being probed into. They also said the quality of the mid-day meal was also being checked. They said tablets had to be distributed as malaria surfaced in surrounding villages of Kallikuppa, Betamanagala and Kammasandra.

The scheduled plan to distribute tablets to primary school students was dropped following the incident.