China checks kindergartens after drug scandal

Education and health authorities in China have ordered the screening of schools nationwide after children were illegally fed drugs in kindergartens. The Ministry of Education, along with the National Health and Family Planning Commission, has ordered local governments to check all kindergartens, elementary and middle schools, and focus on malpractice in kindergartens, according to a joint statement issued on Tuesday. The move came as more cases of preschoolers being given medicines emerged, after two kindergartens in northwest China's Xi'an were exposed last week of having given antiviral drugs to children since 2008. The latest cases were found in northeast China's Jilin and central China's Hubei provinces, where parents said that their children were given antivirals. Kindergartens involved claimed that they fed children antivirals to boost their immune systems and guarantee attendance. The kids were told that the pills were good and asked to "keep it a secret." The kindergartens are under further investigation, according to the statement. The statement said institutions or individuals are not allowed to give preschoolers and students medicines without authorization. If there is a real need for administering medicines, health authorities must be consulted first and parents must be informed, and medical staff must be on the scene to give instructions, it said. The two authorities have set April 10 as the deadline for local governments to finish the screening and they promised harsh punishment for violators.