A Grade 4 pupil died of septic shock following a deworming activity at Hugo Perez Elementary School in Trece Martires City, Cavite. The Department of Education (DepEd) verified the death and stated several other pupils also fell ill following the same exercise.
Deworming was done on July 2 with the City Health Office. This is a standard event DepEd holds twice a year to protect pupils from intestinal parasites that might cause nutrition problems in children.
Many children said they felt sick following the activity, according to DepEd. The Grade 4 girl, who subsequently died, had been taken to hospital after vomiting regularly as early as July 3. The doctors later found that the youngster died of an infection that caused septic shock, a deadly disease in which the body’s response to infection damages organs.
In an official statement on Monday, July 13, the DepEd said they are coordinating closely with health authorities to obtain a complete picture of the situation. Also, the department stated it would review its own health and safety guidelines to ensure the safety of kids in future activities.
A supplementary statement was issued on July 10 by DepEd Cavite and the school itself expressing grief over what happened. They claimed they are working with investigators to discover the cause of the illness and death.
DepEd Cavite also commented on the likelihood of filing a legal complaint due to the incident. Officials claimed they won’t shirk their obligations and will provide full cooperation if any legal action is initiated against them or their staff.
As to the official recommendations of DepEd, deworming operations in schools should always be conducted with a health worker present, in conjunction with the Department of Health, and only with the approval of parents. It’s not yet known if these protocols were followed correctly in the July 2 activity. Authorities are still investigating.
The case has focused public attention on school health programs, and particularly on the way they are conducted and supervised. Education activists and parents are now demanding for more stringent safety inspections for mass health events in schools across the country.
