Children undergo treatement at Kendrapara District Headquarters Hospital. Telegraph picture

Kendrapara, Dec. 18: A mysterious fever has affected more than 50 students of a government-run residential school at Tikhiri village under Mahakalpada police station, about 40km from here.

“Forty-four boarders of the residential school were rushed into the district headquarters hospital on Saturday night. A dozen more sick children have been admitted today. The children are down with high temperature and acute cold. Due medical attention is being paid to them,” said chief district medical officer Bharat Kishore Sahu.

The residential school has 117 students. The state welfare department provides free stay and food to those who stay at the school hostel.

A medical team headed by Sahu rushed to the residential school. Health check-up of the remaining students staying at the hostel was conducted today.

“There is no immediate cause for alarm. Though the fever is yet to be diagnosed, it appears to be a viral fever. The virus spread from the infected students to the others. Blood samples of the affected students are being sent for laboratory tests to see whether the fever had anything to do with dengue or chickungunya,” Sahu said.

District welfare officer Charulata Mallick said: “Boarders of two hostels of the school felt ill yesterday afternoon. The department officials rushed to the school to hospitalise the sick.”

Contrary to the officials’ claims, condition of both the hostels was extremely unhygienic.

“The asbestos-shed hostels, measuring about 700sqft, which were fit to accommodate about 30 students, housed 117 students. The outbreak of the disease was because of the lack of cleanliness,” said Mahakalpada Panchayat Samity’s former chairman Balaram Parida.