About 40 pupils of Kunkumi Primary School in Makarfi Local Government Area of Kaduna State have been hospitalised following adverse reaction after taking ‘Preziquantel’ vaccine.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ‘Preziquantel’ was administered to pupils below five years of age in 127 primary schools in the area as a vaccine for ‘Bilheziasis.’

Confirming the incident to NAN on Wednesday in his office at Makarfi, the council's Interim Management Committee Chairman, Alhaji Hamza Musa-Makarfi, said the council had taken measures to address the situation.

“It is true that some pupils were hospitalised being administered the vaccine; actually by then, I was in Kaduna for an official engagement but I immediately instructed my Vice-Chairman to rush the affected victims to the hospital.

“Before my arrival, the affected pupils were brought to the hospital, treated and discharged.

“Some people say the affected victims were 30 while some say 50 pupils, but all I know is they were attended to by medical doctors and all of them were discharged, except three pupils for now.”

The chairman said after visiting the scene and the hospitals, he convened a meeting with the council's head of health, officials of state committee on polio and other health personnel, to ascertain the actual cause.

“During the interaction, we understood that the exercise was being carried out in 127 schools of the local government and it had recorded 100 per cent success in 126 primary schools.

“In view of this, the problem might be as a result of overdose, taking the medicine with empty stomach or taking the medicine while suffering from other diseases, because investigation showed that all necessary protocol were obeyed.”

The chairman said he had invited the headmaster of the affected school and confirmed that the man that administered the vaccine had followed the simple training given to him by the state Ministry of Health.

Also commenting, the Head of Health, Makarfi Local Government Council, Alhaji Ashafa Ahmad, said the vaccine was not newly introduced.

Ahmad said that the exercise had been going on in other local government areas of southern Kaduna since 2010, without any problem.

“This exercise had been on in local government areas of southern Kaduna, as well as other councils across Nigeria, and there had never been a case of adverse reaction or any other thing else.

“This is one of the neglected tropical diseases which is now being taken care of in order to address such problems, hence the introduction of the vaccines by the state government.

“But we are suspecting maybe one of the conditions necessary for taking the drug was violated. However, investigation on the matter is still on-going.” (NAN)

•Photo shows Gov. El-Rufai.