3 weeks ago
Seven More Park Institution for Girls Students Hospitalised; Hostel Shut
Some girls who live in a school hostel in Kolkata got sick.
They felt sick to their stomachs and had trouble breathing.
Many had to go to the hospital.
Most of the girls who went on the first day got better and went home, but a few more got sick the next day.
The school hostel was closed for a week so everyone could stay safe.
No one is sure yet what made the girls sick.
Some parents think a dirty water tank was the cause.
The people who run the hostel say the water tank is cleaned regularly and the girls drink filtered water.
The city is testing water and food samples to find out what happened.
Doctors say the girls are in a stable condition.
Seven more students of Park Institution for Girls were admitted to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday with respiratory distress, a day after 26 hostel residents were hospitalised with nausea and breathing problems.
Sixteen of the students admitted on Monday were discharged on Tuesday, and the hostel has been vacated and ordered to remain closed for seven days.
Hospital officials said the students' conditions are stable, with symptoms including nausea, respiratory distress, acute gastroenteritis, fever, chest pain and panic attacks.
Parents allege a moss-covered, improperly cleaned drinking water reservoir at the hostel caused the illnesses, while hostel warden Pompa Sasmal denied the claim, citing regular cleaning and filtered drinking water.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation collected water samples and the Food Corporation of India collected food samples for investigation; the article also references a prior incident in which 24 students of the institution were hospitalised after a school meal.
- Who
- Students of Park Institution for Girls in Kolkata, among the 83 girls living in its hostel; 26 were admitted on Monday and seven more on Tuesday.
- What
- Students fell ill with nausea, vomiting and respiratory distress across two days; the hostel was evacuated and ordered closed for seven days while the cause is investigated.
- Where
- The hostel of Park Institution for Girls in Shyambazar, Kolkata, and RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
- When
- Monday evening, when 26 students felt unwell around 6pm, and the following Tuesday, when seven more students were admitted.
- Why
- The cause is under investigation; parents suspect contaminated drinking water in the hostel reservoir, though hostel authorities deny it.
Parents
Hostel Authorities
Cause of Illness
Parents
Parents allege the hostel's drinking water reservoir is contaminated, not cleaned properly and covered with moss, and blame authorities for the students falling ill.
Hostel Authorities
Hostel warden Pompa Sasmal denies the claim, saying the water tank is cleaned two to three times a year, water purifiers are installed and the girls drink filtered water.
Water or Food Contamination
Parents
Suspicion has focused on the hostel water supply, and a referenced earlier incident saw 24 students of the institution hospitalised after a school meal.
Hostel Authorities
The North Calcutta Destitute Child Welfare Society says it supplies mid-day meals to 82 schools with no complaints, and only residential girls fell ill while day scholars who ate the same meal did not.
Key facts
- School
- Park Institution for Girls, Shyambazar, Kolkata
- Admitted on Monday
- 26 hostel residents
- Admitted on Tuesday
- 7 more students
- Discharged on Tuesday
- 16 students
- Hostel residents
- 83 girls
- Hostel closure
- Seven days, hostel vacated
- Symptoms
- Nausea, respiratory distress, acute gastroenteritis, fever, vomiting, chest pain
- Samples collected
- Water by Kolkata Municipal Corporation; food by Food Corporation of India
Quotes
Hospital official
Senior staff member at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital
“"Seven girls who were brought to the hospital today complained of respiratory problems, but it is difficult to say anything conclusively about the cause until a thorough investigation is done. In the initial stages, they show overlapping symptoms, and only after investigation and observation can we draw conclusions. The conditions of the children are stable."”
telegraphindia.com
“"The water tank is cleaned two to three times a year. We have water purifiers for drinking water. The girls are given filtered drinking water."”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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