The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday confirmed it is investigating the death of an eight-year-old student who died of septic shock a day after participating in a school-based deworming activity in Cavite province.

Reports said that the fourth-grade student from Hugo Perez Elementary School-Annex died on 3 July, one day after receiving a tablet under the government’s National School-Based Deworming Program.

Initial reports indicated that several students became ill following the activity. The victim reportedly suffered from a headache, vomiting, fever and severe abdominal pain before being hospitalized.

“Based on initial medical findings, the cause of death was linked to an infection that led to septic shock,” the DepEd said in a statement.

As of Monday, health authorities had not released forensic or laboratory results confirming whether the death was directly caused by the deworming medication or triggered by an unrelated, underlying condition.

The agency urged the public to avoid speculation while the joint investigation with the Department of Health continues.

The tragedy has reignited a fierce debate over the lack of healthcare professionals in public schools. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers, the country’s largest teachers’ union, released a statement Monday saying the incident exposes systemic failures that force educators to take on medical responsibilities.

“The heartbreaking incident is an alarming reminder of the consequences of an underfunded and neglected public education system,” the group said.

“For decades, unresolved shortages of teachers and qualified education support personnel have forced schools to operate without enough school nurses, guidance counselors, and other essential professionals,” it added.

The union argued that teachers are increasingly saddled with non-teaching duties, including health monitoring and administrative work, and should not be held responsible for emergencies arising from structural deficiencies.

The group renewed its appeal to the Marcos administration to increase public education spending to at least 6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, recruit more certified school nurses, and strip non-teaching mandates from educators.

The local school division office in Cavite expressed its condolences to the family and assured the public it is cooperating fully with legal and medical investigators.