Carcar students hospitalized after hyperventilating

CEBU, Philippines — At least14 students of Can-asujan National High School in Carcar City, Cebu were rushed to the hospital yesterday after they experienced difficulty breathing in the middle of class.

Students who witnessed the incident said those who hyperventilated were also shaking all over.

Rommel Villaver, a classmate of those brought to the hospital, said it was during a class discussion shortly before lunch when one of their classmates experienced difficulty breathing, shook all over, and passed out. All of a sudden, several of his other classmates started behaving the same way.

“Nag-sunod sunod man to (It was one after another),” Villaver said.

Senior high student Romulo Sasaban, Jr. was among those who helped respond to the incident. He said they were at the opposite building when they saw the commotion at the other building and eventually saw the students shaking uncontrollably.

He said they decided to bring the students to the school’s office because it was already difficult to control them. He said his younger sibling who was among those brought to the hospital behaved as if seeing something and was pointing at something.

The students were brought to the Carcar District Hospital a little past noon.

Police Staff Sergeant Remon Amance told The Freeman the 14 students were stable.

As of yesterday afternoon, five were discharged while nine remained at the hospital.

Dr. Iris Rosal said the students suffered from hyperventilation syndrome, which can be caused by physical, emotional, and physiological stress.

Another student of the school, Danilo Escarmoso, Jr., told The Freeman three students who displayed the same behavior were rushed to the hospital last Saturday after a performance for the city’s charter day celebration.

He believes that what happened yesterday was connected to the Saturday incident.

Kim Lauron, chief of the city’s disaster risk reduction and management office, said classes at the school were suspended yesterday to avoid a “chain reaction.” The students who had to be given medical attention can also rest from school for now.

"Ako ang nagpasuspende kay daghan bata nag tan-aw unya dili nato ma-control ang crowd (I suspended classes because there were many students who saw what happened and we might not be able to control the crowd)… the students who are okay can attend classes and for those students who suffered hyperventilation can take rest," she said. Diane Leizle A. Ganar (FREEMAN)