Gaya, Nov. 12: Panic prevailed in central and northern parts of Gaya as three students of Class VIII of Murarpur Government Middle School fainted after being administered encephalitis vaccine on the first day of the vaccination drive.

The drive was launched by health officials to immunise children between 1 and 15 years. The disease has, of late, taken an epidemic form in the district claiming no less than 39 lives in Anugrah Narain Magadh Medical College Hospital alone. The girls who fainted were identified by principal Dhaneshwar Pandey as Tannu, Rita and Varsha. Two of the girls have been admitted to a nearby Pilgrim Hospital and another has been taken to a private clinic.

Allaying apprehensions that the incident had something to do with the vaccines, civil surgeon K.K. Singh said that one girl fainted as she was on an empty stomach, while the rest had panic attacks after the first girl fainted.

The students were now fine, Singh said.

Asked if the vaccine protocol, including maintaining a cold chain, was being maintained, Singh said that the vaccine has to be kept at a temperature range between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius and the cold chain was being maintained. No complaint of any reaction has been received from any part of the district. District magistrate Sanjay Kumar, too, assured the police that there was no need for apprehension and exhorted all sections of people to join in the fight. An estimated 13-lakh children between 1 and 15 years have to be administered the once-in-a-life vaccine to immunise them against meningitis and encephalitis.