Mysterious disease kills schoolboy

Classmates trying to comfort two girls after they fainted at Sabdalpur High School on Tuesday. PHOTO: STAR

The 12 girls are now improving at Magura Sadar Hospital, doctors said yesterday.

On Tuesday, 13 year-old Sujit Mandal of Malaynagar village, a student of class six, suddenly fainted in the classroom and developed breathing problem. He died in about three hours while being taken to hospital.

Twelve girls in the school fell sick, showing the same symptoms yesterday and the day before. They were rushed to Magura Sadar Hospital. They are Rizia 13, Lima 13, Naznin 15, Mita 13, Swapna 14, Sarna 13, Shiphu 14, Lina 13, Afreen 14, Farzana 13, Kabari 14 and Lucky 14.

School authorities and doctors in the area said all the girls developed breathing problem after being fainted. The doctors however, could not detect the cause.

Medical Officer Amar Proshad at Magura hospital told this correspondent that although the disease could not be identified, application of sedative drugs showed good result in their treatment.

When contacted yesterday, Magura civil surgeon said he along with Sreepur Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Officer-in-Charge of Sreepur thana visited the school yesterday but found nothing to identify the disease.

There has not been any fresh attack, he said yesterday afternoon.

A temporary medical camp has been set up at the upazila headquarter under the supervision of Sreepur Upazila Health Officer Kazi Rezaul Haque, he said.

The Director General of Health Services has been informed but an expert team is yet to be sought, the civil surgeon said.