At least 23 students of Syedpur High School in Cumilla have been affected by mass hysteria.

They reportedly laughed uncontrollably and then fainted yesterday and today, Sudhangsu Bhushan Das, assistant teacher of Bangla of the school, told our Cumilla correspondent.

"Some of the students of class-VIII started to laugh abnormally and then fainted one by one during yesterday's class, creating panic among other students. Later, we sent them to hospital," the teacher said.

Dr Mujibur Rahman, civil surgeon of Cumilla said, “A team of his office has visited the students. Primarily we identified it as psychogenic mass hysteria. There is nothing to panic."

According to Eastern Medical College hospitals records, “21 female students have so far taken treatment on Monday. Of them 18 are students of class eight and three are of class nine.

Today, two more students of class eight fainted in the school.