Following the recent controversies that involved kindergarten schools in China giving antiviral drugs to children even without proper approval, the country's Anhui province has officially banned the practice to safeguard kids.

On Friday, the provincial legislature of Anhui announced that it has passed a legislation that prohibits staff of kindergarten schools from giving children medicines without the consent of the children's parents.

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The legislation was immediately hailed by parents as experts said other provinces will surely follow the new regulations approved by Anhui.

The legislation was crafted and passed unanimously following recent reports that staff at kindergarten schools in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces fed antiviral drugs to children even without approval.

Stiff Penalty for Violators

According to the Anhui legislature, the order will be strictly imposed to ensure that children at kindergarten schools are safe. Those who will be found violating the new regulation will be penalized accordingly.

Among the penalties for grave offenses are the closure of the kindergarten schools and the filing of criminal charges against school administrators and staff involved.

"This is very like the first such legislation in China," said Wu Bin, an officer at the Commission for Anhui's Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee.

280 Children Drugged

Last week, hundreds of angry parents staged a protest outside the Litian kindergarten in Lanzhou after learning that about 280 children were given the prescription drug ribavirin without consent.

Parents of the affected children claimed their kids suffered diarrhea, skin rashes, leg pains and other symptoms believed to be linked to the antiviral drug. One doctor confirmed that the children suffered the side-effects of the drug.

According to a report published by the South China Morning Post, there are at least 10 kindergarten schools in Shaanxi, Hubei and Jilin provinces that allegedly gave children different antiviral drugs without the consent of the parents.

The antiviral drug is used to protect the children against flu, sources said.