Viral fever spread rapidly at Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) at Manchukonda in Khammam urban mandal on Tuesday, prompting the officials to shift 15 more ailing students to the District Headquarters Hospital here in the evening.
As many as 19 students of the KGBV were admitted to the hospital in the town on Monday night after they complained of high fever and severe cold and cough. Around 20 inmates of the total 96 students of the KGBV, which is housed in a rented building at Manchukonda, have been suffering from viral fevers for the last three days.
The remaining students contracted fevers from the ailing students as all of them were packed in cramped rooms in the congested KGBV building, sources said. Several students fell sick on Monday night and some of them have even fainted, sources added.
As the news spread, the anxious parents rushed to the KGBV on Tuesday.
More than 90 students are compelled to stay in cramped rooms due to congested accommodation at the KGBV situated in a private building, deplored Usha, the mother of an ailing student. My daughter had contracted viral fever from other students already afflicted with fever and other seasonal ailments, she bemoaned.
The poor quality of food and unhygienic conditions at the KGBV have exposed the students to malnutrition and serious health risks, lamented another parent.
When contacted, District Education Officer Ravindranath Reddy said a total of 27 students of the Manchukonda-based KGBV have been undergoing treatment for viral fevers at the hospital here. Some of them are suspected to be afflicted with typhoid.
The condition of all the students is stated to be stable.
Collector I Srinivas Sri Naresh visited the hospital on Tuesday and inquired about the health condition of the ailing students.
