A private school in Maharashtra's Thane city has temporarily switched to online classes after several students and teachers complained of suspected cases of mosquito-borne illnesses. The school management on Tuesday said that reports of a large number of students being affected by dengue are "baseless allegations with vested interests."
It said the Thane Municipal Corporation's (TMC) health inspection found no evidence of mosquito breeding on the premises. From June 18 to 28, the school will switch to an online mode for students from nursery to Class 10.
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"As a precautionary measure, we have got the fumigation done and have installed mosquito nets on all windows on the school campus," a school management representative said. TMC's Medical Officer of Health, Dr Prasad Patil, said a civic team was sent to the school on Monday following complaints from parents. He said that while active breeding was not spotted, the potential for it existed.
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"We identified and destroyed several potential mosquito breeding spots, such as pots, torn tyres and old furniture where water could collect," Patil said. "We have conducted extensive spraying and fogging in the school premises and the surrounding construction sites," he added.