Meanwhile, in the first outbreak of the psychogenic illness in the capital, eight female students of a school in Mirpur fainted yesterday.

Health Adviser Dr ASM Matiur Rahman speaking at a seminar yesterday said a platform of doctors, teachers and parents of students will initiate an awareness raising programme at union levels very soon, rendering support to emotionally distressed adolescents.

He however claimed that the prevalence of the illness has reduced.

The seminar on 'Mass Psychogenic Illness' was held at Dhaka Medical College Hospital in line with the government's plan to launch the awareness programme. For the last two weeks, mass seizures swept through 14 districts afflicting mostly girls.

The health adviser urged the people not to panic since no one died of the seizures. The disease has no long-term complication and remits almost automatically after few hours of the appearance of symptoms, he added.

Citing Bangladesh's success in containing HIV/AIDS and the recent outbreak of bird flu, the adviser laid emphasis on the role of spiritual leaders. At the same time counselling, nutritious food and proper health care for the patients are also important, he said.

"Spiritual leaders have access to the people even at the furthest corner of the country...they can enlighten the people. The environment of schools and treatment of adolescents should also be considered," he observed.

He added the media has a very important role to play in making the people aware, "We sought assistance from the media and we got it. The pro-active and positive role of the media has reined in the spread of the disease. The media should not publish any report that might give rise to fear among vulnerable adolescents."

He cited studies that say media reports with puzzling information about such outbreaks usually aggravate the situation.

Dr Abdullah Al Mamun, the keynote speaker reconfirmed the disease as a 'mass psychogenic illness' and said the same thing had happened in many developed and developing countries in the past and there is nothing to worry about.

"This illness occurs in closed communities, like schools and factories and it tends to occur more frequently among adolescent girls. Emotional factors sometimes make adolescents, with low level of tolerance for stress, to feel headache, nausea, convulsion, pain in the chest and abdomen, and difficulty in breathing," he said.

During his power point presentation he showed a written statement of the first affected student of Adiabad Islamia High School, who had fainted after he had lost a competition. Later, similar physical symptoms spread rapidly among the students, starting with his three female friends.

Director General (DG) of the Health Directorate Dr MD Shajahan Biswas, and Director of DMC Brigadier General Abdus Shahid Khan also spoke. Principal of Dhaka Medical College MA Foyez presided over the seminar.

Meanwhile, in the first outbreak of the illness in the capital, eight female students of Hazrat Shah Ali Model High School in Mirpur fainted yesterday morning during their tiffin break.

Rebeca Afroz Ali of class viii, one of the affected students, told The Daily Star that two women in burkas threw water on her during the tiffin hour and soon she started to feel headache and fainted. As her friends were trying to help her, they also fainted seeing her lose consciousness.

Rejecting Rebeca's claim that two women in burkas threw water on her, Head Master Md Mustafiz Billah said, the students had come to school without having their breakfast and perhaps that caused them to faint.

The affected students were admitted to nearby Selina General Hospital and Diagnostic Centre. Dr Abdur Rahman of the hospital, who is looking after the ailing children, told The Daily Star that due to panic and physical weakness the students fainted.

"We expect to release them by the evening...we are trying to counsel them," he said.