Psychological tests ordered for Starehe girls following hysteria reports
Health & Science
By
Jael Mboga
| Oct 04, 2019
Starehe Girls Centre students with hysteria will be subjected to individual psychological tests.
In a statement on Friday, the Ministry of Health further recommended group therapy for students and staff.
On September 28, the Health ministry was notified by the administration of the school in Kiambu County of students with an unusual cough.
The initial 12 girls were complaining of a cough, sneezing and throat soreness.
READ MORE
Forget miraa: Discovery of minerals stirs up Meru locals
How to turn the tide against Kenyans' poor saving culture
Super-rich investors bet on Kenya amid economic gloom
Unlocking the creative power of out-of-home advertising
It's a bumpy ride for e-mobility firms in bid to move past start-up phase
Deepening connections with customers through conversational messaging
Bid to boost Africa's talent pool with tech scholarships in top gear
Kenyan retailers ready to pounce as Ethiopia to open up market
Hiring civil servants on contract will fuel corruption, experts say
The MoH dispatched a team of experts to the school to investigate.
It recommended that the initial cases be managed in isolation.
The team collected appropriate specimens that were tested at the National Public Health Laboratories. The results indicated two cases of rhinovirus, a predominant cause of common cold.
However, on October 2, the number of affected girls had risen to 68.
"In light of the exclusion of an infectious cause, the absence of physical causes of illness and the rapidly increasing number of affected students, the team recommended immediate psychological assessment of the girls," the statement said.
Specialists were also dispatched from Mathari hospital to run psychological tests on the students.
The team drew a conclusion of mass hysteria.
The Ministry maintained that that the disease reported is not infectious.
The most affected were in Form One, with about 40 students, and only four in Form Four.
One student told The Standard the symptoms were exhibited by a Form Two student before it spread to Form One and the rest of the school.
The students were asked to leave and are expected back on Monday.
- Forget miraa: Discovery of minerals stirs up Meru locals
- How to turn the tide against Kenyans' poor saving culture
- Super-rich investors bet on Kenya amid economic gloom
- Hiring civil servants on contract will fuel corruption, experts say
- Kenyan retailers ready to pounce as Ethiopia to open up market