9-year-old child dies after 'accidentally' taking antiparasitic pills in South Bengaluru school

The girl was fine when she arrived home from school, but later that evening, she suddenly fainted, prompting her parents to take her to the hospital, said an investigator from Banashankari.

Bengaluru: A nine-year-old girl, identified as Zoya Khan, died in a private hospital in South Bengaluru where she had been admitted after fainting at her house on Tuesday evening. Earlier that day at school, she allegedly accidentally ingested three to four antiparasitic tablets.

These tablets are distributed to all government schools under the National Deworming Programme.

The objective of the National Deworming Programme is to deworm all preschool and school-age children (both enrolled and non-enrolled) between the ages of 1-19 years through schools and Anganwadi Centers.

This aims to improve their overall health, nutritional status, access to education, and quality of life, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

A gastroenterologist at a private hospital told DH that it’s a broad-spectrum drug administered to treat any worm infections in the intestine.

Khan was a fourth-grade student at Karisandra Government Urdu School in the 2nd stage of Banashankari, Southern Bengaluru. On Tuesday afternoon, Khan is said to have accidentally consumed a few antiparasitic tablets.

An investigator from Banashankari told DH that the girl was fine when she arrived home from school, but later that evening, she suddenly fainted, prompting her parents to take her to the hospital.

Although she was treated in the hospital and had partially recovered, her condition worsened overnight, and she passed away on Wednesday morning, the officer stated.

The Banashankari police have initiated a case under IPC Section 304(a), which pertains to causing death by negligence. Both the school authorities and the hospital are named in the FIR.

The girl had initially recovered after being admitted to the hospital, but her condition deteriorated overnight, raising suspicions of negligence in the treatment provided to the child. Consequently, the police also booked the hospital, according to the investigator.

Shiva Prakash Devaraju, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (in charge), South division, told DH that schools usually keep these tablets in stock; however, in this case, the girl reportedly obtained three to four tablets at once.