The recent incident of deterioration of health conditions of over 75 students after consuming Albendazole, a medicine used for treating stomach worms, at a school in Madhya Pradesh has caused alarm among parent.

The incident took place at Model School, Khajuri in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district. Students were experiencing stomach pain and difficulty in breathing after taking Albendazole. Currently, the district administration and medical teams are investigating the case.

It is common among parents to give Albendazole to children is they are suffering from stomach pains often resulting from hunger. While Albendazole is believed to be harmless and effective for expelling worms, health experts have warned that this practice can be harmful to children.

In a conversation with News18, Dr. Shobhit Shakya, Additional Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, RML Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow discussed the side effects of consuming Albendazole and the common mistakes parents should avoid while feeding this deworming drug to children.

Dr. Shakya said that it is possible that children who are administered Albendazole may start showing side effects. Some common side effects include headache, vomiting, fatigue, increase in some enzymes affecting liver and fever. Children may also encounter difficulty in breathing after taking this medicine, although this condition is quite rare.

Dr. Shakya said that overdose of this pill may lead to several problems. If the medicine is given in a proportion more than the weight of the child, it can cause anemia, increased risk of infection due to reduction in TLC (Total Leukocyte Count), low platelets and bone marrow suppression. Therefore, it is always important to keep in mind that this medicine should be given in proportion to the weight and age of the child.

Dr. Shobhit shared that Albendazole is administered in two ways in India. Firstly, under the eradication program, children are given this drug at government schools, Anganwadi centers or district hospitals. These are mass campaigns with the aim of ending the chain of worms. These worms have to be eradicated by administering medicines in group.

This worm lives in the intestines of children, lays eggs there and comes out through the stool. Then it reaches the fields and then to fruits or vegetables grown on them through soil or water. If these are eaten without washing vegetables or cleaning them or without cooking them, this worm spreads to other people. In this way, the cycle continues. To destroy this cycle Albendazole is administered in groups.

The second way is by prescribing this medicine to only those patients who have worms in their stomach. This is only done when there is actual evidence of worms being present in the stomach and their symptoms are clearly visible. Doctors usually prescribe Albendazole to such patients or a combination of several other medicines.

Dr. Shakya said that if parents buy this medicine from pharmacies and give it to children in cases of stomach ache, worms in stool or in cases of diarrhea, it can have many side effects. One should not give this pill to children without doctor’s advice.

If Albendazole is given through a mass campaign or Anganwadi and is being administered after taking complete information from the patient, then it can be given to children.

Dr. Shakya said that it might be possible that this medicine is being given by looking at the symptoms of the child but he might have some other disease. At times, this medicine is not effective without combination.

Dr. Shakya even said that at times, when the load of worms in the stomach is high, even though the worms die after consuming this medicine, the protein that comes out of these worms can cause reactions in children. In such a situation, it is necessary to take doctor’s advice.