Spurious dengue spray: After Attock, 105 students in Jhelum school faint

JHELUM:

Over a hundred schoolgirls passed out at their campus in Jhelum on Saturday after suspected exposure to insecticides, just two days after a similar incident took place at a school in Attock.

At least 105 girls at Government High School Domeli in Sohawa tehsil fainted after the school administration opened the classrooms without taking precautionary measures. The school had been fumigated on Friday.  Students entering classes suffered breathing problems and more than 105 fell unconscious.

Parents and community members gathered outside the school and demanded action against the responsible staff for carrying out faulty fumigation.

Rescue 1122 and Edhi teams rushed the effected students to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Sohawa and District Headquarters Hospital Jhelum. Over 48 students were admitted at the DHQ Jhelum till the filing of this report. Many of the effected students were shifted into the Rural Health Centre Domeli as well. Emergency was imposed at DHO Jhelum and THQ Deena. Most of the effected students study in classes, 8, 9 and 10.

Shahbaz orders inquiry

Taking notice of the incident, the Punjab government suspended District Coordination Officer (DCO) Jhelum Zulfiqar Ahmed Ghumman, EDO Health Mohammad Asif, EDO Education Chaudhry Zulfiqar and the Town Municipal Officer. He also ordered an inquiry of the incident and imposed a ban on anti-dengue spray in schools.

Chief Secretary Khizar Hayat Gondal said no fumigation campaign would be made in government buildings without a written permission from the local health department. He said that the Domeli incident was the result of negligence on the part of school administration and those responsible would be punished.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2015.