‘Many students’ affected as Queens College Lagos records yet another epidemic breakout

The sickbay at the Queen’s College, Lagos, has been overcrowded with students following an outbreak of a yet to be known infection.

This latest incident comes two years after three pupils of the school died from water-borne infections.

Ify Nwoye, public relations officer of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), said on Monday that they got a report about a week ago of how students were being rushed to the sickbay in their hundreds.

“We got there around 2pm yesterday. We alerted the principal and she went with us to the sickbay. When we got there, we saw some of the students being asked to go,” she said.

“One parent we met said this happened before, and when they called him, they said it was bacteria from water, from food. For months when the girl was brought back, she still had the same ailment. And we were asking the principal, ‘what is happening to the food, what is happening to the water?’

“At that point, we asked to see the record. To my utmost dismay, the principal said no, we won’t see the record. We wanted to know how many students have been sent home. The nurse at the sickbay was threatened not to release any record to the PTA. So, to avoid drama we had to leave.”

NO PRE-RESUMPTION PLAN

Nwoye also said things were not in place before the girls’ resumption.  She added that it was the standard to ensure the school environment is clean and sewage treated before school opens but none of these was done.

“We all knew there was no pre-resumption plan. The sewage was not packed, the grasses were not cut. No fumigation. And the consequences are what we are seeing now,” she said.

She said students are now being asked not to report to the clinic, and those who do so are being threatened with dismissal.

The school management could not be reached immediately, but a source who works in the school and did not want to be named said that “the best thing is to close down the school. This is more than what we can control now.”