A group of schoolchildren in Italy have encountered problems
as soon as they enter the classroom, which includes breathing difficulties and
itching, leaving medical experts baffled.
Most people remember pretending to be ill or
allergic to school in the hope of their mum letting them having a day off, but for
8 students at a high school in Bergamo, Italy this has become a reality.
Upon entering the classroom at Falcone di Bergamo high
school the children suffer breathing problems and itchy rashes, but the symptoms
disappear after they leave the classroom.
The strange illness began in early October when two
schoolgirls first started to suffer the symptoms soon spreading to two
classmates and a further four in other classes – with five pupils experiencing
serve symptoms.
It has left teachers and medics confused as environmental and
medical tests on the infected children have yet to discover a cause for the
symptoms, while external factors have been ruled out.
To add to the mystery of the cause of the illness, the
school has seen several incidents fainting although no connections between the
two issues have been confirmed.
Head teacher Enzo Asperti told Italian newspaper Corriere, “For
now, all we know is that it's some kind of allergic reaction,” and went on to
confirm the school has followed all measures given by the local health
authority including cleaning and airing the school as much as possible.
The suffering pupils are unlikely to miss out on their
school work though, with the school considering teaching over Skype if the
problems continue to be an issue.
Words by Jamie Allison
