Over 1,500 children taken ill:

Top medical team to probe mysterious allergy

by Ananda Kannangara

The Health Ministry has sent a team of entomologists, epidemiologists and doctors to investigate the mysterious allergic reaction which affected students at four schools in the Central Province.

A spokesman for the Health Ministry said, over 1,500 students in four schools in Kandy and Gampola were admitted to hospital last week following the allergic reaction. Most of the children were discharged from hospital while a few are still receiving treatment. The students of Gampola Jinaraja Balika Vidyalaya, Gampola Panvilathenne School, Weligapola Somadevi Junior College in Balangoda and Nugewela Boys' school in Kandy fell victim to the allergic reaction.

The first allergic reaction was reported from Jinaraja Girls' School where nearly 1,000 children took ill suddenly and were admitted to the Gampola Base Hospital.

Health Ministry Senior Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Peiris told the Sunday Observer that he would conduct an inquiry into this allergic reaction with the assistance of divisional epidemiologists of Central Province hospitals.

He said the allergic reactions were most likely caused by small insects and called upon parents not to panic as a top level investigation is now under way. Medical Research Institute (MRI) Director Dr. Anil Samaranayake said the mysterious allergic reaction could have originated from an insect. The Health Ministry has taken steps to spray chemicals on insect breeding grounds to destroy the insects. The latest Health Ministry reports said that no further complaints regarding the allergic reaction had been reported from any other school apart from these four schools in the Central Province.

The Education Ministry has directed the relevant educational officials to close the affected schools and reopen the schools tomorrow.