Gujarat: 150 students of residential schools suffer from cough, fever; 18 girls hospitalised

SURAT: As many as 150 students of three government residential schools located within one campus in Gujarat’s Surat district suffered from a viral infection and 18 of them, all girls, were hospitalised with fever, officials said Sunday.

Wadi village in Umarpada taluka has a cluster of three residential schools with over 650 male and female students. Chief District Health Officer Dr Anil Patel said 150 of these students contracted upper respiratory tract infections with symptoms of cough and fever over the past three to four days.

As many as 18 girl students suffering from fever were admitted to a community health centre on Saturday, he said. The district administration deployed a team of more than two dozen health personnel to screen the students at the school campus and take care of their health, he said.

“We have directed the principal to ensure that the airborne infection does not spread, and keep students with fever and cough in isolation with face masks. A medical team of 30 personnel is on the school campus,” he said.

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18 school girls from Sainik School hospitalised

Principal Jaideepsinh Rathod of the Sainik School, one of the three educational facilities, said several students complained of cough and fever in the last few days after which he contacted the local health centre.

“We contacted the nearby primary health centre and got the students examined. Of them, 18 students were admitted to a community health centre,” he said. Both boys and girls of the residential schools were affected, but all those admitted with fever are girls, he said. MLA and former tribal development minister Ganpat Vasava visited the school campus.

“A team of the Surat district health officer reached the school and screened the students,” he said.