Students’ visit to lake triggers panic

Aneesha Sareen

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 20

The parents of more than 200 students of three prominent schools — who visited the Sukhna Lake earlier this week to participate in the Swachhta Abhiyan and poster-making competition — has triggered panic amongst them in the wake of the bird flu.

The students are from two private schools and one government school of the city.

Officials of the UT Health Department have been flooded with calls by anxious parents and school authorities to know whether these students will contract bird flu.

The students had visited the lake on Tuesday, two days before the culling exercise was initiated.

Even as the UT health officials have been repeatedly asserting that there is no need to panic, parents are apprehensive and making umpteen queries. The health officials will visit all three schools from December 22 and examine the students for any bird flu-like symptoms.

“We’ll visit three schools and examine the students who visited the lake. We’ve been assuring parents that there is no need to panic and they should rush to a hospital if they notice any symptom. We will examine the students as a precautionary move,” said VK Gagneja, Director, Health Services.

Besides the Swachhta Abhiyan, the students also took part in a poster-making competition at the lake.