NELSON K
Over 60 pupils at Kyafoora Primary School developed serious illness, collapsed, and narrowly escaped death after being rushed to nearby health centers following the consumption of wrong deworming tablets provided by parish health servants.
The incident occurred the day before on Thursday afternoon, turning into a dark day for residents of Kyafoora Parish in Rugarama North Sub County, Ntungamo District. Over sixty pupils at Kajumbajumba Primary School developed severe illness and collapsed after being given the wrong deworming tablets. They were immediately rushed to Omukiyenje Health Center, nearby clinics, and St. Jacinta Health Center III.
Kajumbajumba Primary School Headteacher Mr. James Abaho reported that the Kyafoora Parish Health Center II medical team brought Albendazole tablets and administered them to over two hundred children. However, while the older pupils in upper classes received the correct Albendazole tablets, more than 60 younger pupils in lower classes were mistakenly given wrong tablets.
Shortly after taking the medication, the affected children developed severe illness and headaches. The school called back the medical team to assess the situation. When the team leader examined the tablet box, he appeared shocked, confirming suspicions that the wrong medicine had been administered.
One of the severely affected children was transferred to Itojo Hospital. Although most of the children showed signs of improvement by yesterday evening, several fell ill again at school this afternoon. According to Mr. Abaho, no academic activity has taken place since the incident, as efforts have been focused on transporting children to health centers and treating them with intravenous fluids at school.
Parents led by Deus Nabimanya, David Mujuni, Nelson Namweta, and Loyce Ainembabazi told Boona Radio that upon hearing the shocking news, they rushed to the school to check on their children and took them to health centers in Omukiyenje Town and St. Jacinta Health Center III in Nyamakukuru. With broken hearts, they expressed frustration toward the government and relevant ministries for remaining silent and not offering immediate assistance to mitigate the situation.
They revealed that older children aged above eight years were given eight tablets, while younger ones were given five. They called upon the government to intervene urgently by deploying specialized doctors to save their children.
The Rugarama North LC3 Chairperson, Mr. Amanya Ivan Rwanyakibaale, together with the Kyafoora Parish Woman Councillor, Madam Caroline Ankunda—who also serves as the Subcounty Secretary for Health and Education—played a key role in rushing the affected children to hospitals using her personal vehicle since the outbreak of the incident.
Mr. Rwanyakibaale called for unity and comforted the parents, though he also expressed frustration and condemned the negligence of Kyafoora Parish health workers for mismanaging public medicine, describing their actions as unprofessional and dangerous.
While emphasizing that the government had no intention of causing harm, he appealed for calm and reconciliation among parents. Nonetheless, he urged the government to urgently provide proper medical attention to all affected children.
Ntungamo RDC Mrs. Milliam Kagaiga, while responding to the incident, expressed compassion and sympathy toward the affected parents and thanked them for their swift response in rescuing the children. She apologized on behalf of the health workers who mistakenly administered the wrong medicine, acknowledging that it was an error.
She urged parents and health workers to work together to ensure that all affected pupils recover fully, expressing hope as some children had already shown signs of improvement.
