Twenty more students fell ill after a pungent smell suddenly spread through the classrooms of Joorkhali High School in Hatiya upazila of Noakhali on Monday.
The incident occurred around noon at Tamraddi Joorkhali High School. Earlier on September 7, 27 students at the same school fell ill after a similar pungent smell spread through the classrooms.
The students were taken to Hatiya Upazila Health Complex, while a 14-year-old girl was later referred to Noakhali General Hospital after her condition deteriorated.
The incident occurred around noon at Tamraddi Joorkhali High School. Earlier on September 7, 27 students at the same school fell ill after a similar pungent smell spread through the classrooms.
Of them, 13 were admitted to the upazila health complex. The following day, officials from the upazila administration, health department and police visited the school and suspected that exposure to pesticides sprayed on nearby paddy fields might have caused the illnesses.
The recurrence of a similar incident, however, has raised fresh concerns.
According to school authorities and locals, classes began at around 10:00am on Monday. About an hour later, two ninth-grade girls suddenly fainted. Several students in other classrooms subsequently fell ill, with some losing consciousness.
With the help of locals, the affected students were taken to the health complex. By 2:00pm, 20 students had been admitted.
Hatiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Russell Iqbal said a teacher called him around 11:00am to report that students were falling ill in different classrooms, similar to the previous incident.
“I immediately advised them to take the students to the upazila health complex. Twenty students were brought there. As one student’s condition was serious, she was referred to the district hospital for further treatment and tests to determine the cause of her illness,” he said.
Health complex officials said five students recovered and returned home in the afternoon, while the others remained under treatment.
Biman Chandra Acharya, a sub-assistant community medical officer (SACMO) at the health complex, said the students showed similar symptoms, including dizziness, nausea and fainting.
“Initially, we suspect mass hysteria or mass psychogenic illness. However, we will be able to reach a clearer conclusion after receiving the test results of the student referred to the district hospital,” he said.
Noakhali Civil Surgeon and acting superintendent of the general hospital Md Anwar Hossain said the referred student had received necessary treatment and was under close observation by specialists in the medicine department.
“Necessary tests are being conducted. Initially, we suspect it could be mass hysteria,” he said.
UNO Russell Iqbal said a three-member committee had been formed to investigate why students were repeatedly falling ill in the classrooms.
The upazila health and family planning officer is heading the committee, while the officer-in-charge of Hatiya police station and the upazila secondary education officer are its other members.
“There is a need for further investigation. We will write to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) to draw its attention to the matter,” the UNO said.
Hatiya police station Officer-in-Charge Kabir Hossain visited the health complex after receiving the news. Police were deployed around the hospital as relatives and locals gathered there.
The OC said police would investigate the medical cause of the recurring incidents as well as whether any criminal activity was involved.