'Mass hysteria' hits 81 students at 4 Bangladesh schools
Friday, July 11, 2008
A MYSTERY illness health experts are describing as a type of "mass hysteria" has struck students at four schools in Bangladesh in the past week, forcing them to close temporarily.
The condition appears highly contagious as soon as one student becomes ill, others are immediately struck with similar symptoms, usually headaches, acute pain and even fainting, officials say.
Most of the victims are teenaged girls, said Salahuddin Khan, chief medical officer of Jessore district, where the affected schools are.
"It's a peculiar disease. I've never seen anything like it," he told AFP.
"It started after a girl fainted at a school. Soon enough dozens of her friends complained of acute headaches, restlessness and body pains. They were all affected within minutes."
Speculation among local media about the origin of the baffling illness has been rife, with a top army doctor even telling state-owned broadcaster BTV that it was caused by poisonous gas "sabotage" against the impoverished country.
"So far, 81 students at three schools and a madrasah (religious school) have been struck by the ailment," said Khan.
"More than half of them fell unconscious and had to be hospitalised. We have shut down the schools and the madrasah temporarily."
He said a team from the country's Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research visited the students and took blood samples.
AFP
The condition appears highly contagious as soon as one student becomes ill, others are immediately struck with similar symptoms, usually headaches, acute pain and even fainting, officials say.
Most of the victims are teenaged girls, said Salahuddin Khan, chief medical officer of Jessore district, where the affected schools are.
"It's a peculiar disease. I've never seen anything like it," he told AFP.
"It started after a girl fainted at a school. Soon enough dozens of her friends complained of acute headaches, restlessness and body pains. They were all affected within minutes."
Speculation among local media about the origin of the baffling illness has been rife, with a top army doctor even telling state-owned broadcaster BTV that it was caused by poisonous gas "sabotage" against the impoverished country.
"So far, 81 students at three schools and a madrasah (religious school) have been struck by the ailment," said Khan.
"More than half of them fell unconscious and had to be hospitalised. We have shut down the schools and the madrasah temporarily."
He said a team from the country's Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research visited the students and took blood samples.
AFP
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