Swine flu scare spreads on DU campus
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
DU Correspondent
The swine flu phobia, as elsewhere across the country and abroad, has spread over the Dhaka University (DU) campus creating panic among the students and thrusting hundreds of them to wear masks.
A rumour of some students being affected with swine flu was also spread at different residential halls of the university Monday night but no case of the H1N1 virus was reported till writing this report Tuesday evening.
Students from the dormitories were seen to rush to the university's adjoining Nilkhet, New Market and Katabon areas in groups to purchase masks from the vendors Monday night and Tuesday.
Abdul Hakim, a third-year student of Mujib Hall, said he had worn the mask as a precautionary measure to save himself from swine flu like many others.
Many of the students were panicked Tuesday seeing others wearing masks. Some were sharing others that four students at Zia Hall, five at Mujib Hall and ten at Surya Sen Hall and one at Salimullah Muslim Hall were affected with swine flu though the reality says different.
The authorities held awareness meetings at the halls in the morning asking students to remain clean and not to be panicked.
When contacted, DU Chief Medical Officer Abdur Rahman said that they had found no cases of swine flu among the students of the university till late Tuesday.
He, however, said the university authorities were ready to take measures if someone is found affected with the virus.
The swine flu phobia, as elsewhere across the country and abroad, has spread over the Dhaka University (DU) campus creating panic among the students and thrusting hundreds of them to wear masks.
A rumour of some students being affected with swine flu was also spread at different residential halls of the university Monday night but no case of the H1N1 virus was reported till writing this report Tuesday evening.
Students from the dormitories were seen to rush to the university's adjoining Nilkhet, New Market and Katabon areas in groups to purchase masks from the vendors Monday night and Tuesday.
Abdul Hakim, a third-year student of Mujib Hall, said he had worn the mask as a precautionary measure to save himself from swine flu like many others.
Many of the students were panicked Tuesday seeing others wearing masks. Some were sharing others that four students at Zia Hall, five at Mujib Hall and ten at Surya Sen Hall and one at Salimullah Muslim Hall were affected with swine flu though the reality says different.
The authorities held awareness meetings at the halls in the morning asking students to remain clean and not to be panicked.
When contacted, DU Chief Medical Officer Abdur Rahman said that they had found no cases of swine flu among the students of the university till late Tuesday.
He, however, said the university authorities were ready to take measures if someone is found affected with the virus.