Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: The state government has decided to activate an emergency response system for National Iron Plus initiative under the mid-day-meal scheme to prevent occurrence of untoward incidents with the children.
“It was often observed that children catch fever, vomit and express fatigue after taking iron tablets post lunch under the new initiative of Union government. The situation is not because of the tablets but because of poor immunity level in children,” said an official of the school and mass education department.
He said keeping this situation in view, the state government has decided to activate the emergency response system wherein children will be taken into medical care immediately as soon as they complain of sickness or disorder after consuming iron tablets.
Notably, the school and mass education department has adopted the Iron Plus Initiative under mid-day-meal scheme wherein children are administered iron tablets such as albendazole immediately after noon meal. The programme has been implemented to increase the immunity of schoolchildren.
In a recently issued order, school and mass education department secretary Ranjana Chopra wrote to all district education officers to take necessary actions as per the operational guidelines of the national iron plus initiative to manage any adverse event following the administration of albendazole.
Medical experts believed that like vaccination derives side effect to children, administration of such iron tablets too can do the same. “Children don’t like to have medicine. They got terrified by thought itself. This fear results in getting them fever and other side effects after consuming vitamin tablets,” said a practicing pediatrician of SCB Medical College and Hospital Prakash Hati.