All three girls had visited same hometown in Kerala

The three Indian school girls who died within the span of a month with brief incidences of fever and other symptoms, all belonged to Kannur district in Kerala and had visited their hometown during the summer holidays in July.

Amna Sharaf, 9, a grade 4 student of Our Own Indian High School, died on October 29. She had been ill with fever and cold, nausea and vomiting from October 22 during which time she was treated at two hospitals but her heart was affected and she succumbed within seven days. Sharaf had visited Kannur during the summer holidays and had no apparent manifestation of infection until October 22.

Similarly, Aliya Niaz Ali, 17, the grade 12 student from Indian High School, Dubai, contracted mild fever and cold for two days. She too was referred to her family physician who treated her with paracetamols and anti-histamines. She recovered, resumed school for a day and returned home feeling sick again on October 12. On October 13, despite taking medications, when she complained of severe abdominal and chest pain; her parents decided to admit her to the emergency ward of Rashid Hospital. She was admitted on the morning of October 14, and died the same evening. Aliya too had visited Kannur during summer holidays in July, her family said.

Shiba Fatima was in Kannur in July for her summer holidays. According to medical experts, the possibility that the girls had contracted some form of viral and bacterial infection is remote as such infections do not have such long gestational periods. Further, the three girls did not have any reported incidents of discomfort immediately after returning from their holiday and attended school as normal, without having taken a single day’s sick leave.