Govt tries to allay fears over iron pills

NEW DELHI: Almost a week after 200 school children in the capital took ill and 21 others were hospitalized due to side-effects caused by administration of iron and folic acid supplements, the government on Monday tried to allay fears it had caused among the public.
Anuradha Gupta, additional secretary and mission director, National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), said that vomiting, abdominal pain and general discomfort were common side-effects of iron and folic acid tablets, and should not be a cause for worry.
Sidharth Ramji, professor of paediatrics at the Maulana Azad Medical College, who was part of the fact-finding team for the north Delhi area where 200 children fell sick, said that no reason had been found for the children to have the symptoms.
“In all the schools and anganwadi centres, strict guidelines had been followed while administering the tablets,” he said, adding that some children had problems from before the administration of the supplements, which worsened afterwards.
Ramji also clarified that the tablets were of fresh stock, and had been procured in June, with an expiry date of 2015.