2 Dhenkanal OAV students test positive for jaundice, another symptomatic

Bhubaneswar: Close on the heels of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Khurda district, cases of jaundice have been reported from a school in Dhenkanal on Tuesday.Two students of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya (OAV) at Biswanathpur in Dhenkanal district’s Gondia block were found positive for the disease.

Another student was symptomatic but her blood tests are yet to come.However, with parents alleging that more than 10 students were affected by the disease, district health officials collected blood samples of 200 students of the school on Tuesday for examination. A group of parents confronted the education officials over lack of monitoring as far as sanitation was concerned in both the school and private hostels where the students reside.Principal-in-charge of the school Narendra Kumar Das said while one of the affected students stayed in a private hostel near the school, another was a local resident. The third student, who was symptomatic, was a boarder in a private hostel.The school closed on Dec 23, 2025, for winter vacation and reopened on Jan 2. Exams began on Jan 5, and when the two students did not attend the tests, school authorities called their parents to enquire about the reason behind their absence.

The parents informed that the two had been diagnosed with jaundice and were under treatment, the principal-in-charge said. The two were students of Class 6 and 7.“Likewise, the third student also did not appear for the exams, and when we enquired, we were told that she had jaundice symptoms. Her blood samples had been sent for tests,” he said.There were 387 students in the school but since the school’s hostels were not functional, residential students stayed in private hostels nearby.Dhenkanal chief district medical and public health officer (CDM & PHO) Dr Sanjaya Mohapatra said following the two cases of jaundice, a team comprising healthcare officials, rural water supply scheme, food safety, and district education officials visited the school on Tuesday and collected water and food samples to examine whether there was any contamination. Blood samples of over 200 students, who were present on the campus on Tuesday, were also collected and sent for tests.He added that there was no outbreak of jaundice on the campus yet, and all measures were being taken to ensure there was no spread through contaminated food or water.Meanwhile, school and mass education minister Nityananda Gond expressed concern over jaundice cases on school campuses. While asking all district education officials in the state to remain vigilant about sanitation and water safety issues in all schools and their hostels, the minister said in the Gondia OAV case, the reason behind the disease would be ascertained and isolation would be imposed if the need arose.