Secondary
mystery illness…
12
other students
hospitalised
-school
closed, doctors baffled
Annandale_under_siege
Abandoned
Basant_annandale
Sukhmangal
Bassant
Mohan_Keishore
Motilall_found_executed
Pastor_Rampersaud
Sahadeo
Wedding_killings
Twelve other students
from the Annandale
Secondary School were
admitted to the
Georgetown Hospital as a
mystery ailment
continues to cause panic
at the East Coast
Demerara institution,
forcing its temporary
closure.
CLOSED:
the Annandale
Secondary School ordered
closed yesterday by the
Education Ministry.
(Winston
Oudkerk photo)
Eleven of the
students were admitted
to the medical
institution yesterday
morning, while another
was taken there by his
parents late Wednesday
night.
This follows the
admission of seven other
students on Wednesday
afternoon.
School officials
remained tightlipped
about the incident, but
a statement from the
Ministry of Education
last evening confirmed
that the students were
admitted to the
Georgetown Hospital for
observation.
According to the
Ministry's statement,
investigations showed
that at about 14:10
hours on Wednesday,
seven students of the
school complained of
feeling unwell. They
were accompanied by
teachers to the
Georgetown Public
Hospital , where they
were admitted.
Two teachers stayed
with the hospitalised
children until 21:00
hrs, and were assured
that the children were
out of danger.
The statement added
that yesterday, other
students of the school
also reported of feeling
unwell, and were also
admitted to the same
hospital.
“The Minister of
Education, Mr. Shaik
Baksh, took prompt
action and enquired from
the hospital's
Superintendent, Dr.
Rambaran, about the
condition of the
students, and the
reasons for them being
unwell. Dr. Rambaran
indicated that after
examination by himself
and Dr. Doobay, it was
found that all the
students were medically
fit and nothing in their
condition warranted
treatment,” the
statement said.
Kaieteur News
understands that some of
the children have been
discharged from the
hospital, while the
parents of at least two
of them took their
children away.
According to the
Ministry, Senior
Education officials and
teachers visited the
students at the hospital
today, and as a
precautionary measure,
classes were suspended
yesterday.
Regional Health
officials also visited
and inspected the
school.
“The Ministry would
like to assure the
parents and the general
public that every effort
is being made by the
Ministry to ensure that
thorough investigations
are being done to find
out the source of the
problem and what exactly
caused the students to
feel unwell. Much more
follow-up action will be
taken,” the Ministry
said.
Pandemonium broke out
at the school yesterday
morning when more
students began
complaining of feeling
unwell shortly after
classes began.
Bhagwandin, a member
of the school's board of
governors, told this
newspaper that he had
heard about the
situation there on
Wednesday, and had paid
a visit to the school
yesterday morning.
He said that upon
arrival at the school,
he heard two students
complaining of stomach
pains, cramping, and
shortness of breath.
The man said that he
immediately took them to
the hospital.
Among those admitted
yesterday are Liloutie
Rampersaud, Asheena
Marks, Parbattie
Motilall, Sema Rohit,
Tishanie Seetaram,
Chitranie Roopnarine,
Dharmattie Narine, Geeta
Budie, Richard Nandalall,
Lisa Outram, Ramona
Puran, and Tracy Amanda
Prunsukh.
“I started feeling
sick yesterday
(Wednesday) afternoon. I
had headaches and slight
cramps. Today (Thursday)
I started feeling dizzy
in class, and I
collapsed. When I
regained consciousness,
I was in the office.
When I was in the bus,
coming to the hospital,
I fainted again.
Yesterday the only thing
I ate from the canteen
was an egg ball, but
today I didn't eat
anything, because I
collapse before
break,” Liloutie
Rampersaud told Kaieteur
News.
At first, it was
believed that the
children were victims of
food poisoning, and
doctors had taken blood
samples for testing.
But according to
Bhagwandin, he is
certain that it is not
food or drink that
caused the complaint.
“The children had
just come to school and
had not bought or eaten
anything from the
sellers or the school's
canteen,” Bhagwandin
said.
He was supported by
some vendors in the
school compound, who
were forced to
discontinue their
businesses.
One vendor said that
the students began
feeling unwell long
before the 15-minute
mid-morning break
period.
When this newspaper
arrived at the hospital
yesterday morning, four
of the newly-stricken
children were already
being admitted.
Several other parents
stood around waiting
after hearing that their
children were on their
way to the hospital with
similar complains.
Within minutes, a
mini-bus, loaded with
students from the
school, pulled into the
compound, and porters
and other
public-spirited persons
rushed to assist in
taking the children into
the treatment room of
the Accident and
Emergency Unit.
Some of the parents
broke down in tears as
the children, most of
whom could not walk,
were carried by
wheelchair into the
treatment room.
All of the students
were screaming, while
some were clutching
their stomachs and
gasping for breath.
Most of the victims
were female students
from Forms One to Five.
Yesterday afternoon,
at the hospital, one
woman was praying for
one of the victims, who
had to be restrained by
several persons.
However, while some
believe that it is a
case of mass hysteria,
some residents of Annandale
believe that the ailment
has a lot to do with the
supernatural.
One
parent suggested there
maybe supernatural
causes at play.
Trinidad
Guardian
Detectives from the
East Coast of Demerara
yesterday again
interviewed teachers and
other persons at the
school.
Also yesterday,
beverage companies were
frantically trying to
ascertain what type of
beverage the children
had consumed.
Friday
11-24-2006
