More than 500 students and 21 staff members of Clarence High School in Richards Town, Bengaluru, have reportedly fallen ill with fever, cold, cough and body aches following an outbreak of a severe seasonal flu-like illness. The private unaided school has declared a two-day holiday and will remain closed until August 18.

According to a letter issued by the school, at least two H1N1 cases have been confirmed, while one staff member is undergoing treatment at Bangalore Baptist Hospital on Airport Road.

The school has also raised concerns about several street food and other vendors operating outside its premises, alleging that unhygienic conditions and accumulated waste could pose additional health and safety risks to students.

It said vendors were blocking the kindergarten gate on Clarke Road and contributing to waste accumulation. The school also flagged a kebab vendor near the Pottery Road–John Armstrong Road junction, citing persistent waste and sanitation issues.

The school has sought immediate health and safety inspections of food vendors in the vicinity and urged civic authorities to enforce restrictions on the sale of junk food near educational institutions.

The school said it had already approached the Educational Officer and the health officers of the Greater Bengaluru Authority, seeking urgent intervention from the civic authorities.

“We are not panicking. We are managing. But we cannot do it alone,” the school said in its letter, urging authorities to act before the situation escalates.

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