53 more students drift into mysterious unconsciousness
Staff Correspondent
Another 53 students were struck by the mysterious unconsciousness symptoms yesterday at different schools in Magura, Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat.Prof MA Faiz, head of Medicine department and principal of Dhaka Medical College (DMC), said, "It is a form of psychological disorder called mass hysteria. .... It is not a disease and will have no long-term effect." A nationwide awareness is urgently needed right now and people should not be panicked, he added. In Magura, 34 class VIII students of Basirhat Secondary School were taken to Sreepur Upazila Health Complex after they passed out in their classroom. Fifteen of them however recovered soon. Teachers and other students were panic-stricken during the sudden collapse of the 34 students, said our Magura correspondent. Thana Health Administrator Humayun Kabir Molla told the correspondent that the students did not get sick due to any major disease. ".... probably they fell sick due to the hot and muggy weather." Our Khulna correspondent adds: Nine students of classes VI to X of Hasina Begum Secondary Girls' School in Chitalmari upazila fell unconscious in their classrooms in the morning. They were taken to Chitalmari Upazila Health Complex for treatment. Four of them were released after primary treatment while the condition of five others were serious, said a health officer at the complex. A three-member team was formed to probe into the incident. In Satkhira at Moutola High School under Kaliganj upazila, ten students, mostly female, fell unconscious. Of them, seven were sent home after giving first aid at the school and three were sent to Satkhira Sadar Hospital. No new student with mass hysteria symptoms was admitted to DMCH till noon yesterday. Around 12 students of Adiabad Islamia High School and College of Raipura, Narsingdi are still undergoing treatment there under close observation. Earlier, at least 84 students of the institution had fainted in their classrooms since last Wednesday with complaints of headache, chest pain, breathing problem and vomiting. On Monday, around 32 female students and a teacher fell unconscious in their classrooms at Polashbari Hajee Joyenuddin High School and were admitted to Saver Combined Military Hospital.
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