The founder of Ibba Girls Boarding School has threatened to sue the World Health Organization for mass drug administration that left nearly every pupil hospitalized, but the UN health agency said the children’s bodies reacted accordingly.

On Friday, the ministry of health and W.H.O launched a mass drug administration campaign in Ibba county of Western Equatoria targeting children between the ages of 5 and 16.

During the campaign, children in schools were given the deworming tablets called Praziquantel against Bilharzia.

According to the parents, the oral tablets were administered by selected teachers and community drug distributors based on the height and physical appearance of each child.

However, the national Ministry of Health had said surveys were conducted in 80 counties where 51 turned to be endemic and were marked for mass drug administration.

It added that about 1.5 million children in 51 counties were targeted in different phases of the deworming drug administration campaign across South Sudan.

Nagomoro Bridget, founder, condemned what she calls “unprofessional” mass drug administration in Ibba and threatens to take a legal procedures against the organization behind the campaign.

“On my capacity as the founder, I must sue them,” Bridget told Eye Radio.

Yesterday, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of health confirmed that nearly all the schoolchildren who were hospitalized at Maridi Hospital after developing adverse side effects the deworming tablet have recovered.

Some of the affected schools include, Ibba girls boarding school, St. Peter primary School, Hope Primary school and St. Luwang primary school where nearly every child was hospitalized.

Hours after taking the tablet, the pupils developed adverse side effects such as vomiting, abdominal pain, headache and epigastric pain among others.

Studies show that Praziquantel is used to treat infections caused by Schistosoma – a parasitic flatworms that causes a highly significant group of infections in humans.

In its 21^st list published in 2019, Praziquantel tablet was among the over 460 medications the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines considered to be most effective and safe to meet the most important needs in a health system.

In response, Dr. Mutale Nsakashala Seikwe – the WHO technical officer for Neglected Tropical Diseases -says the side effects presented in Ibba were an indication of the medicine killing the parasites.

“The side effects are also another indication that the child had parasite in the body. So they are being cured by the medicine,” Dr. Dr. Nsakashala stated.

The WHO says Schistosoma affects poor and rural communities, particularly agricultural and fishing populations.

This is attributed to inadequate hygiene and contact with infected water make children especially vulnerable to infection.

For his part, the Director-General for Preventive Health Services at the national Ministry of health – Dr. John Rumunu – says they are gathering reports to know the exact number of children affected in Ibba.

According to the Ministry of health, the first phase of mass drug campaign is being administered in seven counties of Western Equatoria, three counties in Eastern Equatoria and one county in Western Bahr El Ghazal State.

The World Health Organization believes that the Schistosoma worms also known as Bilharzia is found in Africa, South America, Middle Eastern countries, the Caribbean and parts of Asia.