Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Six Kolkata schoolgirls test positive for influenza; hostel shut
Some girls who live at a school hostel in Kolkata got sick.
Thirty-one of them started feeling unwell.
They had fevers, tummy aches, and trouble breathing.
Many of them were taken to a hospital.
Six girls were found to have influenza, which is a sickness caused by a virus.
Influenza is often called the flu.
Nine girls are still in the hospital getting care.
Sixteen girls got better and were able to go home.
The school closed its hostel to help stop the sickness from spreading.
A health minister came to visit the girls and their families at the hospital.
Six girls from a government school in north Kolkata tested positive for influenza after 31 hostel students fell ill.
Symptoms included respiratory distress, nausea, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, and some reportedly experienced panic attacks.
Nine students remain admitted at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, while 16 have been discharged.
Twenty-four girls were taken to the hospital between 6 pm and 8 pm on Monday, with seven more arriving Tuesday morning.
State Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee visited the hospital, met families, and confirmed the positive test results.
- Who
- Six schoolgirls from a government school in north Kolkata, along with State Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee and hospital staff at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
- What
- An outbreak of influenza among hostel students, with 31 girls falling ill, six testing positive for the virus, and the hostel being shut.
- When
- Students began falling ill on Monday afternoon and evening, with more admitted on Tuesday morning.
- Where
- North Kolkata, India, at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
- Why
- The article does not state the cause of the outbreak; authorities responded by treating patients, testing samples, and closing the hostel.
- Students who fell ill
- 31 hostel students
- Positive influenza tests
- 6 students
- Still admitted
- 9 students
- Discharged
- 16 students
- Hospital
- RG Kar Medical College and Hospital
- Location
- Government school hostel, north Kolkata
- Health Minister
- Sharadwat Mukherjee
- Symptoms
- Respiratory distress, nausea, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, panic attacks