Jabalpur: The health scare at Eklavya Model Residential School in Mandla took a grim turn on Monday with the death of a class 10 girl, who was among 17 students hospitalised over the weekend with fever and related symptoms. Officials confirmed that six samples are being sent for Japanese Encephalitis (JE) testing, even as most of the affected children are reported stable.

The girl, identified as 15-year-old Shilpa Maravi, collapsed during a cultural programme on Independence Day. She was first admitted to Mandla district hospital and later shifted to Jabalpur Medical College in a critical state. Doctors earlier said she developed blood clots in the brain.

According to Mandla collector Somesh Mishra, all protocols are being followed to ascertain the cause of death. “The protocols in the postmortem examination were followed. It is essential to determine the cause of death. Other children with fever have had their samples taken. About 10–12 children have gone home, and 34 children are still here. One child was referred and she died during treatment. That’s why videography is being done along with complete protocol. Samples are being sent for testing. We will keep the JE aspect in mind too,” Mishra told TOI.

Dr Sanjay Mishra, joint director (health), Jabalpur division, said the girl’s body was taken away by her family. “She was on ventilator support but was taken to Nagpur by her kin on Sunday evening. They reportedly tried at two or three hospitals, but she was declared dead. They then took her to their residence in Niwas, Mandla. We have sought samples of six affected children from Mandla, which will be tested for JE,” he said.

Officials have confirmed that preliminary dengue and malaria tests of the Mandla students returned negative, and the illness is currently suspected to be viral.

The episode has triggered concern in tribal Mandla and adjoining Dindori, where a six-year-old boy died on Aug 10 with suspected JE infection. That death could not be officially confirmed as no second test was carried out, but the back-to-back cases have raised fears of the mosquito-borne virus re-emerging in Madhya Pradesh after a gap of five years.