a day ago
CM hosp visit after heat lays kids low at I-Day event
Kolkata: Heat and humidity on Friday led to 39 girl students falling ill immediately after the I-Day Red Road parade in which they participated. All children were taken to the SSKM hospital, prompting a worried CM Mamata Banerjee to rush there and tend to the children personally.
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All children are safe and have been discharged, with only one girl requiring saline infusion.
Kolkata was warm and humid on Independence Day with the maximum temperature touching 32.2°C. Humidity was high at 94%, and outdoor conditions were uncomfortable. It was humid and warm since there has been no consistent rain over the last five-six days, barring occasional short spells, and the cloud cover has moved away from the city.
This has made the mercury to shoot up again, after a short respite, said weathermen.
Speaking to reporters on Friday after meeting the girls at the SSKM hospital, the CM said: "They were given breakfast, but many of them did not have food. Also, there was this performance anxiety in their mind. Several had dehydration tendencies. The psychological effect of seeing one of their friends fall ill led to the unease among them.
Only one girl – Fatema – was unwell. She had to be administered saline. Her oxygen saturation is at 99%.
But she is also recovering. Everyone will be discharged once the doctors give their nod. A medical team is on standby. The teachers are with them, the parents have been informed."
At the hospital, CM personally fed the students sweets. Noticing that some girls had their hairs tied up, she untied them. "They were all sweaty.
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I untied their hair, and loosened up their uniforms. But I spoke to everyone. They were all sitting when I left," the CM said, informing the students were from the schools in Malda and Alipurduar, and from Sakhawat Memorial and Bhowanipore Girls in Kolkata. The CM also had to comply with multiple selfie requests by the students who spoke with her holding on to her hands.
The doctors have advised caution due to the heat and humidity in Kolkata. Prolonged exposure to the heat and humidity can trigger heat-induced unconsciousness, nausea and vomiting, said intensivist Sauren Panja. "The body loses fluids quickly in the prevailing conditions, and the body temperature rises. Once it crosses the threshold level, the heat-control mechanism fails, and our system starts malfunctioning.
It can lead to heatstroke and even death," warned Panja.
