26 more students affected by mass hysteria in Bangladesh

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26 more students affected by mass hysteria in Bangladesh

Posted: 2008/07/17

From: MNN

Twenty six girls of a high school suddenly became unconscious in the

classrooms in the last two days in Bangladesh's southeastern Chandpur

district, about 115 km southeast of capital Dhaka.

DHAKA, July 17 (Xinhua) -- " They were attacked with mass hysteria. It is a

psychological disease, " Civil Surgeon Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman who visited the

school was quoted by leading English newspaper The Daily Star as saying on

Thursday.

On Tuesday, 22 girls of Bashara High School in Faridganj sub-district fell

ill and became unconscious, school headmaster Md Abul Kashem said. On

Wednesday, four girls became unconscious and fell down on the floor.

A medical team treated the girls on the school premises.

Amid panic due to the spread of the mass hysteria, students' attendance in

classes has reduced to almost half, said the headmaster.

Earlier, several school girls in the same high school, 14 students in the

country's southern Jhalokati district and 99 people in southwestern Jessore

district were attacked with mass hysteria during end of June and early July.

Mass hysteria became rampant in the country during July-August period last

year with several hundreds people suffering from it. Most of them were

students.

Mass hysteria, a sort of temporary psychiatric problem, usuallyaffects

specific groups, mostly students aged between 13 and 25, who will suffer the

symptoms of headache, convulsion and falling unconscious. The disease

spreads quickly from one person to another.

Experts said an outbreak of the mass psychogenic illness is at a time of

anxiety and worry. It is aggravated by malnutrition, tension and lack of

tolerance.