Bhubaneswar: Setting off alarm bells among parents, the number of jaundice cases at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Gurujang in Odisha's Khordha district continues to rise, with the affected count crossing 70. The sharp increase has prompted the deployment of multiple health and inspection teams to the school campus to collect samples from students. 

Sources said a team from WATCO has also arrived to inspect the water supply, while a medical team from Khordha is conducting parallel investigations.

Of the school's total strength of around 560 students, more than 70 students have reportedly been affected by jaundice. Meanwhile, over 200 students have already left the school and returned home. Medical tests are being conducted student by student. On Monday, samples of around 30 students tested positive for jaundice.Those affected, all of whom were found to belong to Classes VI and XII, were later sent back by residential school authorities after providing primary medical treatment. 

However, there appears to be no consistency in the official figures. While some sources claim the number of affected students is between 30 and 40, the school’s health team has pegged the figure at over 60. Regardless of the exact number, parents have raised serious questions about the preventive and control measures taken by the authorities.

Guardians flag lapses in school management

Water contamination is suspected to be the cause behind the outbreak. Though the school administration has maintained that the infection originated from outside the campus, the large number of teachers and students affected has inevitably raised fingers at the school management itself. It is being alleged that such a scale of infection points to lapses somewhere within the institution.

After being informed of the situation, JNV authorities said they are taking all possible emergency measures to control the disease. However, the infection continued to spread gradually across the campus, further heightening concerns among parents. 

Addressing mediapersons, Vice Principal NC Chakra had informed that health check-ups were conducted about a week ago after some students complained of illness. Symptoms such as cold, fever, and jaundice were observed in a few students. Following preliminary treatment, they were sent back to their homes. Subsequently, similar symptoms were noticed among other students as well.

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