Thirty-seven primary school students at the outskirt of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, collapsed on Thursday hospitalized, says ruling party media.
Out of the fainted 37 students of General Waqo Gutu Primary School in Oromia, who are taken to Bethel Hospital, 34 are in better condition. While the remaining are being treated in the hospital, according to FanaBC report.
What makes the children fainted was not known so far, according to the report, which indicated that the hospital is screening blood samples of the students to investigate out what caused the collapse.
Meanwhile, previous reports show that in Ethiopia including the capital, Addis Ababa, many students faint because of lack of Lack of sufficient food and starvation, which forced the government, aid agencies such as, Worlld Food Programme and some companies like Ethiopian Airlines to launch school feeding program over the past few years.
The school is named after General Waqo Gutu Usu (1924 – February 3, 2006) who was an Oromo rebel figure and leader of one of the earlier Oromo separatist movements. He reportedly led the Bale Revolt, which in the 1960s had fought against the feudalistic system in place in the Ethiopian Empire, according to Wikipedia.
General Waqo was elected chairman of the United Liberation Forces of Oromia in 2000. In 2006, General Waqo died in a Nairobi hospital, survived by 20 sons and 17 daughters.