Panic has gripped the locals in Kashimpur of Gazipur in the wake of 25 female students of Kashimpur High School falling ill and fainting simultaneously on Tuesday.
The school has been closed for a week after the incident, said Gazipur Deputy Commissioner Nurul Islam.
Headmaster of the school Abdul Mannan said the first case of the collective hysteria occurred on August 21 when tenth-grader Samia Tamanna Mishu had to be taken to Hazi General Hospital after she had abruptly fallen ill due to headache and respiratory problems.
“On August 24, several other girls fell ill the same way and were admitted to the hospital. The following day, the number rose to 15 and they were taken to different hospitals and clinics. Then on August 26, another twenty-five students said they were feeling sick and fainted afterwards. They were taken to Hazi General Hospital and Kashimpur MM Clinic,” he said.
Mannan said he announced general holiday in the school for Tuesday, but people began to believe that some sort of virus had caused the illness.
“Panic spread fast among the residents of the area, and especially the guardians feared a virus attack,” he added.
A number of girls receiving treatment at the hospital said they suddenly felt headache and could not breathe properly.
“At one stage, I lost consciousness. Something like this never happened to me at home,” one of the girls said.
Taijul Islam, father of eighth-grader Suchana, said he was concerned about the illness of his daughter and was apprehensive about the possible spread of any virus. Assistant teacher of the school Shahidul Islam said the students who fell ill on Monday did not attend Tuesday's classes, fearing that they might become sick again.
Dr Rafiqul Islam at Hazi General Hospital said girls were getting admitted to the hospital for the last three days.
“This could stem from tension or physical weakness, but I cannot rule out a virus attack. The girls fainted after feeling headache. Those who recovered after receiving treatment said they did not have that feeling again,” he said.
“We have no medical equipment in our hospital to detect the presence of any virus,” he added.
1,000 students study in the school but only girls have fallen ill so far, said the headmaster.
“I informed the deputy commissioner and the upazila nirbahi officer of this,” he said.
Civil Surgeon of Gazipur Dr Shah Alam Sharif said he was informed of the incident but there was nothing to be panicked.
“This is a mental illness. It attacks people who are around a patient of this illness. This is called mass psychogenic illness, and is prevalent among schoolgirls,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Nurul said he talked to the civil surgeon after learning about girls falling ill collectively.
“Hopefully, the panic will go away when the school opens a week later,” he added.