Acute Gastroenteritis outbreak in Kunzangling Central School

After a group of students in Kunzangling Central School in Tashiyangtse complained of diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal cramps this week, eleven of the students were admitted to the Tashiyangtse hospital at once, after which three were referred out the next day.

Identifying the similarity in the symptoms, the hospital confirmed, with the help of the Royal Centre for Disease Control (RCDC), the disease as Acute Gastroenteritis (AGE). So far, a total of fourteen students are diagnosed with AGE.

The school principal, Karma Tshering, said the cause of disease is not known, but it was initially suspected to be food poisoning. “The illness was among a group of friends and all got sick together, except for a few which, could be due to viral transmission,” he added that after the students were released from the hospital, they were directly sent home in order to prevent the spread of the disease.

The hospital doctor, Dr Namsa Dorji, said a disease investigation team will be sent to identify the cause of disease until which the students and their respective parents were briefed about the disease and advised to stay at home until full recovery. He said the illness usually lasts for more than a week.

AGE is a sudden inflammation or swelling in the lining of the stomach which is primarily caused by bacteria and at time by a virus. The most common symptoms are vomiting, severe abdominal cramps, and diarrhoea.

The school has 477 students.

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