500 students of Clarence High School in Bengaluru fall sick, management blames street vendors

Clarence High School at Richards Town in Bengaluru. The school was closed from August 14 to 18 after several students and members of the staff fell ill. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement After more than 500 students fell sick due to seasonal flu-like illness and two confirmed H1N1 cases among staff members, Clarence High School in Bengaluru was closed from August 14 to 18. They have shifted their classes from offline to online.In a letter addressed to civic authorities, Commodore Prem Reuben, Administrator, Clarence High School, stated, “There is a growing health crisis at Clarence High School, Richards Town, Bengaluru, that demands immediate intervention. Over the past several weeks, our school has witnessed a severe outbreak of seasonal flu-like illnesses.“More than 500 students (20% of our 2,500-strong student body) and 21 staff members are absent due to fever, cold, cough, and body ache. We have at least two confirmed cases of H1N1, and one staff member is currently undergoing treatment in Bangalore Baptist Hospital.”Initially, the school authorities had closed school on August 12 as a precautionary measure. The letter stated that, later, they decided to keep the school closed from August 14 to 18.What school authorities sayA representative of Clarence High School administration told The Hindu, “As a precautionary measure, we have closed Montessori school while students of classes for 1 to 5 are going to school from today (August 18). Students are getting better. Hence, offline classes are being conducted. However, for students from class 6 to 10, classes are being held online. It is a case of common cold due to changes in the weather. Most students across various schools have the same problem now.”School blames street vendorsMr. Reuben, in his letter, has blamed street vendors around the school for the breakout of flu-like symptoms among students. He also cited the condition of the surroundings of the school. “The area around the school is inevitably left dirty and unhygienic, contributing to the spread of illness and disease,” he wrote.What GBA has to sayHowever, Dr. Siddapaji Gowda, Health Officer, GBA, Bengaluru North, denied the allegations. He said, “There is no link between street vendors selling food and hundreds of children falling sick in Clarence School.“It is not an outbreak, but a common cold that is contagious, airborne and spreads from one person to another. It is not because of the food outside. Probably, it was not detected earlier in the school. The disease has spread among students. Only two students are detected with H1N1, a strain or influenza subtype.”Dr. Gowda said that, as part of the Safe Footpath campaign, they will remove street vendors from the footpath, and ensure junk food is not sold within 50 metres radius of the school.Gurudatta Hegde, Commissioner, Health and Family Welfare Department said, “Two staff members have tested positive for H1N1 in Clarence school. They are in the recovery stage now. There is no outbreak in the school among children. We learnt that nearly 500 students were absent, mainly due to panic. No child has tested positive for H1N1.“I have instructed officials to test if any child is found symptomatic. In August 2025, around 500 cases of H1N1 were detected statewide. This year too, we are in the same range. The symptoms are common cold. There is no need for panic. They can approach PHCs and UPHCs for treatment. We are conducting tests for the same pro-actively in GBA limits so that precautions can be taken.” Published - August 18, 2026 01:34 pm IST