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Ogun Govt: Cholera, not deworming drugs, killed pupils

The Ogun State government yesterday attributed cause of death of two pupils who died in Abeokuta, the state capital to cholera and not deworming drugs administered to them by their teachers under the state government deworming exercise.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, who disclosed this to journalists, insisted that the deworming drugs being administered to school-age children in 14 Local government areas in the state were in no way poisonous. Two female pupils, Omolaso Keyede, aged 8, primary two and Eniola Oyeyemi aged 9, primary 4 of St. James African Church Nursery and Primary School, Idiape, Abeokuta had on Wednesday died barely 24 hours after taking the deworming drugs.

But the Commissioner disclosed that the same drug was administered to her alongside other top government functionaries at the flag off the exercise. She said that the drugs were administered to 249 pupils of the said school of which two children who lived within the same compound were said to be stooling and vomiting on getting home. Coker said: “It was discovered that the episode of Gastro enteritis suffered by the two children suggests a possible water-borne disease, cholera.

“Investigation led by the Ogun State Commissioner for Health along with officials of the Federal Ministry of Health and Abeokuta South Local Government, revealed that the children died of severe case of vomiting and diarrhea. “The government in its bid to stop the spread has put in place community sensitisation and advocacy. We have sent Cholera alert to all health facilities in the state and engaged in prepositioning of materials for case management in government hospitals.”

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