Bhubaneswar: The number of students affected by jaundice at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Gurujang in Odisha’s Khurda district rose to over 70, sparking concern among patents.
Officials said several health and inspection teams have been sent to the residential school to collect samples from students and take stock of the situation following sharp rise in jaundice cases.
A team from WATCO also visited the school to inspect the water supply arrangement, while members of a medical team from Khurda are conducting investigation as part of efforts to prevent further spread of jaundice.
Out of the over 560 students studying in the school, more than 70 have reportedly been affected by jaundice. Over 200 students have already been sent to their respective homes, while medical tests are being conducted.
Earlier, samples of around 30 students tested positive for jaundice on Monday. All affected students were found to be of Classes VI and XII. They were later sent back home by school authorities after preliminry medical treatment.
As the number of jaundice cases continued to rise, parents have expressed concern and raised questions about the preventive and containment measures taken by the authorities.
While water contamination is suspected to have caused the outbreak, school authorities claimed that the infection originated from outside the campus. However, it is being alleged that such a scale of infection points to lapses somewhere within the institution.
JNV authorities said all possible emergency measures are being taken to control the disease. According to Vice Principal N C Chakra, health screening was conducted about a week ago after some students complained of illness. Symptoms such as cold, fever, and jaundice were observed in a few students. After preliminary treatment, they were sent back to their homes, while similar symptoms were found among other students later.
