Two Students Die, Dengue Fever Suspected

The shocking deaths of two students at Xavier College in Ba within the span of a week have sent panic through the school community, leaving both teachers and management shaken.

The tragedies have raised concerns about a potential dengue fever outbreak linked to the school, with allegations pointing to possible contamination within its premises.

The two girls were a Year 12 student – whose death was mourned earlier this week and was laid to rest on Wednesday – and a Year 11 student who died on Thursday and is expected to be buried next week.

What has made this situation even more alarming is the suspicion that both students succumbed to the same virus – dengue fever, as reported by medical professionals.

In an urgent move to address the growing concerns, the school’s management convened an emergency meeting with a host of stakeholders on Friday, including the Ba Town Council executives, health inspectors, and doctors from the Ba Aspen Hospital.

Desperate for answers

Xavier College vice principal Ashita Sharma said that the school was aware of the dengue outbreak that had been sweeping the Ba area.

“We were wanting to know where we were lacking; that is why we called a meeting with the stakeholders and medical doctors,” Ms Sharma said.

“They told us that this outbreak was everywhere in Ba.”

In a bid to ensure the safety of students and staff, Ms Sharma said the school had already taken preventive measures, such as inviting the town council to conduct mosquito spraying on school grounds.

“Our school is already declared as a cleaner school,” she confirmed.

Dengue fear spreads

During the meeting, medical experts provided some comfort by confirming that the two students did not contract the virus at the school.

“They said it has nothing to do with the school or that the students were infected in school. Mosquitoes are most active during the early morning hours before the sun has fully come up and around sunset,” Ms Sharma said.

“The areas where the two students lived, Namosau and Moto, are both in red zones.”

Ms Sharma further revealed that both families confirmed the students had underlying health conditions, which may have worsened the effects of the dengue virus.

“The second student who passed away, is under investigation with Aspen Hospital. She is believed to have had diabetes. She was taken from home to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. A postmortem is expected to be conducted on Monday.”

“It was a sad moment for the school – two girls passed away in one week. It was a shocking moment for us.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health confirmed that three deaths from dengue fever had been recorded across the country this year, with the Western Division leading the grim statistics.

The region has reported a staggering 598 dengue admissions, with 3671 cases nationwide between January 1 and March 9. The Western Division alone has seen 2077 laboratory-confirmed cases, making it the epicenter of the outbreak.

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