Barguna, Oct 07 (V7N) – Twenty students fell ill during classes at Lakurtala Sonar Bangla Secondary School in Barguna Sadar on Tuesday, with severe breathing difficulties reported among the students.
The incident occurred around 1pm. According to school authorities, a seventh-grade female student first developed breathing difficulties. Within about 30 minutes, 19 other students reportedly developed similar symptoms, causing panic at the school.
The affected students were from grades seven to 10. Severe breathing difficulty was reported as the main symptom among them.
School Headteacher Abul Hossain informed the students’ guardians after the incident. Eleven students were taken to different private clinics by local residents, where they received initial treatment before being sent home.
The remaining nine students were taken by ambulance to Barguna 250-Bed General Hospital and admitted for treatment.
Dr Nihar Ranjan Baidya, the physician on duty at the hospital, said the nine students were admitted after experiencing similar symptoms.
He said the students were initially suspected to have experienced mass psychogenic illness, sometimes referred to as mass hysteria, in which physical symptoms can spread among people after observing another person’s reaction, particularly during periods of fear or anxiety.
Headteacher Abul Hossain said all 20 students were now in stable condition.
He said the nine students admitted to the hospital were also out of danger, while the other 11 students returned home after receiving initial treatment.
END/MRR/SMA/
