Kolkata: Around 33 students from the Park Institution for Girls hostel have been admitted to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital with various symptoms. Following a meeting with parents, the school authority has decided to close the hostel for a week.While 26 students were admitted to the hospital on Monday, another seven students were sent to the hospital with similar symptoms on Tuesday morning. Sources said that the admitted students are stable now. On Tuesday morning, a delegation led by Debashis Roy, joint director (public health) visited RG Kar Hospital to see the admitted students. Additionally, a team from the National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections (NIRBI) visited the hospital.NIRBI has sent a team that included a public health expert and a microbiologist at the spot on Tuesday. The team went around looking for possible source of contamination leading to some kind of infection. They also collected samples of food, water and milk which will go for testing to see if there is the presence of any microbe or bacteria that could spread any kind of infection.“Our team found the kitchen in an unhygienic condition, especially the way food items were kept in the kitchen was not in a hygienic condition. As of now it is difficult to ascribe one particular source which could have caused illness to the children. We expect the test results of the collected samples in a couple of days which could lead to identifying the potential source of infection. We will submit our findings to the state health dept,” said Santasabuj Das, director NIRBI, Kolkata.Doctors said the symptoms on the children are not very specific and most have got mild symptoms like fever, nausea. Health dept sources said most of the children would be discharged from the hospital while few might be kept under hospital care for better monitoring.After examining the hospitalised children, Roy said, “I have seen all the children and there is nothing to fear. Discussing with the doctors, it appears panic attacks could be the cause of illness in most cases.”Around 80 boarders from classes 5 to 10 stay at the hostel, and they have never experienced anything like this before. A class 10 student said, “Yesterday there was a programme at the school. After lunch, some students felt ill and were sent to the hospital. The number started increasing until night. The maintenance of the hostel is very poor, and the water tank is not regularly cleaned. Many of us have even complained about the quality of the food served to us, and they never maintain hygiene. However, I have never seen such an incident since I got admitted in class 5. I am very scared and want to return home.”Alokananda Majumder, the headmistress, said, “We don’t know the reason why they fell ill because yesterday they had an absolutely normal meal. We admitted them to the hospital immediately after they fell ill. The health officials have examined other hostel boarders, and they are all absolutely fine now. We have no idea how it happened.”Deb Kumar Das, the secretary of the community kitchen that runs on the school premises, claimed that there was no issue with the midday meal. He said, “The cooked midday meal was sent to 90 nearby schools, and everyone there is fine. If any contamination had occurred from the meal, we would have received reports from other schools too, but nothing has come in yet.”Parents whose daughters were admitted gathered at the school on Tuesday morning, while several others rushed to the school to check on the health condition of their children. Students who stay there mostly come from underprivileged families in the rural areas of North and South 24 Parganas. Jayashree Biswas, mother of Rani Biswas (a class 9 student who was admitted to the hospital), came from Barasat and said, “My two daughters live in this hostel and study here. My younger daughter was fine when I spoke to her on Sunday night. I got nervous after receiving a call from the school on Monday evening, and I rushed to Kolkata. My elder daughter studies in Class 10, and I want to bring her back today.”Arati Sardar, another parent, lost her husband during Covid. She works as an ayah and sent her daughter here so that she could get a good education and stay safely. Her eyes filled with tears She told TOI: “I’m so concerned about my daughter, even though the doctors say she is stable now. They have had so many complaints about the food quality, but the school never listens. During this time, mosquito bites are another issue they face because they can’t use mosquito nets, and the water tank is never cleaned. The hostel authorities should look into these matters.”
