In response to the fainting of 14 students in Mondulkiri’s Hun Sen Keo Seima High School, authorities there have decided to dig a pond and plant trees to create a healthier environment for the pupils.
The first fainting at the school occurred on January 23, when two students lost consciousness due to excessive heat. In the following days, 12 more students suffered the same fate.
Mondulkiri provincial police chief Lor Sokha told The Post on Wednesday that the faintings in Hun Sen Keo Seima High School, located in Keo Seima district’s Sre Khtum commune, were the result of hot weather coupled with the students’ poor health caused by stress from schoolwork.
“After an investigation, we found the fainting was caused by extremely hot weather that led to suffocation. Also, the students were not healthy because they were studying very hard and taking a lot of classes.
“We also believe there was a domino effect at play. When the students saw their classmates faint, they got scared and fainted too,” he said.
Mondulkiri provincial Department of Health director Bun Suor said all the affected students had recovered and had been sent home. The last two students were discharged from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
One of the victims, a girl, told her story to Swift news. She said that on Monday, a female classmate passed out during class. Shortly after, other students fainted. When she saw the unconscious students, she fainted herself.
The victim told Swiftness that the school was a brand new building located near Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area.
At the time of the faintings, the temperature in the class was “extremely” high despite the two electric fans in the room. Before passing out, the students reported feeling pain in the legs, pressure on the chest, difficulty breathing and dizziness.
Separately, 35 students fainted on January 25 in Banteay Meanchey province’s Banteay Chhmar High School, located in Thma Puok district’s Banteay Chhmar commune. They were sent to a nearby health centre. Another student in a more serious condition was sent to the district’s referral hospital.
