Allergy symptoms 'quick response' to stress, fear

Nadira Gunatilleke

The two teams of specialist doctors who conducted a special investigation into the allergy symptoms witnessed in a large number of schoolchildren in several schools in certain areas, confirmed that it was only a 'quick response' to stress and fear they experienced after seeing and hearing about a minor incident.

This type of 'response' is common among peer groups, a Health Ministry spokesman said. According to the spokesman, doctors had stressed that responding to an incident or two connected to itching or feeling faintish, is explained in the medical science as normal phenomena.

This cannot be named as an infection or a communicable disease. No germ, bacteria, virus or antibody was found from affected schools, water, soil or surroundings. Material obtained from the affected environments were examined by the Medical Research Institute (MRI), he said.

Only a few students from one school showed actual symptoms of an allergy and no other student from any other school showed any symptom of any allergy. Medical investigations are to be conducted on the few students who showed actual symptoms of an allergy, the spokesman said.

Dermatologists, physicians, pediatricians and Epidemiologists were included in the two special medical teams which conducted the study. Physiologists and specialists on parasites also took part in the review meeting at the ministry held under the guidance of Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena and ministry officials, he added.

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ALLERGY HOSPITALISES 15 GALEWELA STUDENTS

Dewahuwa group cor

Fifteen grade 5 students attached to Galewela Primary School were admitted to the Galewela Hospital yesterday after they developed itching and other allergic conditions. Among them were 14 girls and one boy. Six of them developed itching during school assembly and others developed this condition after entering the classroom.