In over a week, nearly 100 schoolgirls of the Son Thanh Junior and High School in Tay Hoa district, the central province of Phu Yen fainted.

On January 24 alone, more than 20 girls fainted and shared symptoms of fatigue, and convulsions, and were rushed to hospital. On January 25, three more girls fainted.

The school headmaster Chau Lot told VietNamNet that girls received first aid at a local clinic. Massage and point acupuncture were major therapies used for treatment. Some girls regained their senses after 5-10 minutes and returned class. Some had to go home to recover.

Loi said that the girls who fainted on January 24-25 were those who had fainted on January 17-19. During those two days, nearly 60 schoolgirls passed out. The school closed from January 19-23 but when the school reopened the phenomenon continued.

Phu Yen health officials and experts came to the school to seek causes for the episodes and concluded that the mass fainting was a symptom of hysteria, which often appears in girls from 14 to 18 years old.

The school has changed seats to insert schoolboys between schoolgirls and change the class hours to help them regain psychological balance, Loi said.

In recent years mass fainting has been reported at several schools in Vietnam.

VL