20 students hospitalised after falling ill simultaneously in Hatiya

Twenty students of Tamraddi Jorkhali High School in Hatiya, Noakhali, fell ill after a pungent smell spread through several classrooms on Monday.

The students were taken to Hatiya Upazila Health Complex, where one 14-year-old girl was referred to Noakhali General Hospital after her condition deteriorated. Five students were discharged in the afternoon, while the others remained under treatment.

The incident occurred around 11:00 AM, about an hour after classes began. Two ninth-grade girls first fell unconscious, followed by several students from other classrooms who reported dizziness, nausea and loss of consciousness.

The same school witnessed a similar incident on September 7, when 27 students fell ill after a pungent smell spread through the school. Thirteen of them were hospitalised.

Following the earlier incident, officials from the upazila administration, health department and police had suspected that exposure to pesticides sprayed in nearby paddy fields might have caused the students’ illness. However, Monday’s recurrence has raised fresh concerns.

Biman Chandra Acharya, a sub-assistant community medical officer at the health complex, said the students had similar symptoms and that doctors initially suspected mass psychogenic illness, commonly known as mass hysteria. The diagnosis would be clearer after the referred student’s test results, he added.

Noakhali Civil Surgeon and acting superintendent of the general hospital Md Anwar Hossain also said doctors initially suspected mass hysteria and were conducting necessary tests while keeping the girl under close observation.

Hatiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rasel Iqbal said a three-member committee has been formed to investigate why students are repeatedly falling ill in the classrooms. The committee is headed by the upazila health and family planning officer, with the officer-in-charge of Hatiya Police Station and the upazila secondary education officer as members.

He said the administration would also write to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) seeking its attention to the matter.

Police have also begun looking into the incident. Hatiya police chief Kabir Hossain said authorities would investigate not only the medical causes but also whether any criminal activity was involved.

MaT