Recently, Chinese media disclosed that students at Maoping Central Primary School in Zhaotong, Yunnan, suddenly fell ill shortly after the start of the school year, exhibiting symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, and limb tremors. The symptoms have persisted for two months with the cause still unknown, with some parents even receiving critical condition notifications for their children. The belated disclosure of this situation has sparked concerns and discontent among the public.
On October 26th, Chinese media revealed that a group of students at Lingdong Village campus of Maoping Central Primary School in Luozhehe Town, Yiliang County, Zhaotong, started experiencing high fever, vomiting, dizziness, tremors in the lower limbs, and soft necks since September 3rd. The symptoms have not subsided, and the cause remains unclear, with at least two parents receiving critical condition notifications.
In response to media inquiries, the local town government stated that the Ministry of Education is currently investigating the matter.
According to informants, on September 3rd, chaos broke out on the school playground with dozens of children clutching their heads, expressing dizziness, some vomiting, and others experiencing numbness and tremors in their limbs. The students were urgently taken to the Yiliang County Hospital in Zhaotong, Yunnan, where the hospital was filled with students exhibiting similar symptoms.
Moreover, there is a peculiar pattern of relapse with some students displaying milder symptoms having their conditions worsen again upon returning to school. On September 5th, the same symptoms re-emerged among the students, prompting them to be transferred to the People’s Hospital in the county seat for treatment.
Informants also disclosed that on September 8th, all students from the Lingdong campus were relocated back to the main campus for classes. Despite this, students previously affected by the illness continued to relapse upon returning to the main campus, while those who had not been to the Lingdong campus did not show similar symptoms.
Public records indicate that the unfortunate primary school has a central campus on Maoping Street in Luozhehe Town and a branch campus at Lingdong Village. An informed blogger highlighted that the Lingdong Village campus is a newly opened campus primarily used by sixth-grade students, making the situation all the more distressing.
Regarding the cause of the illness, several suspected diseases, including “food poisoning?” “Viral infection?” “Group acne syndrome?” were listed on the hospital’s critical condition notification received by some parents. To date, the cause of the illness remains unknown.
Chinese media reports have also confirmed this. Ms. Li, a parent, told Jiemu News that she had taken her child to three different hospitals, stating, “Each time my child improves after some time in the hospital, but shortly after discharge, the symptoms reappear. The legs become numb, high fever, profuse sweating, clothes drenched in sweat, and even experiencing tinnitus and visual deterioration.”
In addition to her child, Ms. Li mentioned that other children of the same grade have also exhibited similar symptoms, with some still hospitalized.
Furthermore, some parents noted that their children appear mentally vacant compared to before, showing a significant decrease in intelligence.
The collective illness among the students has drawn attention from many netizens, with many suspecting it could be food poisoning or heavy metal poisoning caused by environmental pollution. However, industry insiders also raise suspicions about a possible connection to avian influenza.
Some netizens suggested, “Lock down the school and conduct thorough investigations from food to water sources; relying solely on the Education Bureau is insufficient.”
Netizens also expressed dissatisfaction with the school and local education bureau for not reporting this sudden collective illness for two months. A mother from Shaanxi questioned, “Who is managing this bunch? Are our future generations going to perish in the hands of these deaf, dumb, and callous individuals?”
A parent from Shandong advised seeking treatment in a hospital in another province as a precautionary measure, citing the precedent of the lead poisoning incident in Maixi District kindergarten in Gansu, where the local hospital failed to diagnose the issue.
Some bloggers concerned about this incident urged the government to swiftly uncover the truth online to spare parents from further anguish.
In June of this year, a lead poisoning incident involving 233 young children occurred at Hexipeixin Kindergarten in Maji District, Tianshui City, Gansu Province. The incident was covered up by local authorities, even altering test data, until the victims underwent examinations at hospitals outside the region, revealing the truth. Official investigations implicated kitchen staff at the kindergarten for allegedly adding toxic and harmful non-food materials during food preparation, though the public has expressed significant doubts.
Currently, mainland China is experiencing large-scale outbreaks of influenza A, resulting in many schools closing due to students and parents disclosing infections. Additionally, Hong Kong has reported its first case of a female student dying from influenza A.