11 faint as ceremony goes on, and on...

Thousands were full of the spirit of freedom at the official Independence Day celebrations at the Manekshaw Parade Grounds. But the long-winding ceremony left many tired and at least 11 persons, including four children and seven uniformed personnel, fainted.
Standing from around 7.30am to 11.30am was not easy. Those who swooned were immediately taken to ambulances (15 at eight spots) and administered first aid.They were later taken to the disaster management emergency response unit. "Their blood pressure and cardiac activity was normal," said team head Dr Vijay Kumar Biradar. None of them required IV fluids and were given oral glucose solution.
Ambulance personnel rushed to the rescue of those who fainted and noticed fatigue, sweating, chillness, general weakness, headache and body pain. "Some had a complete blackout. We immediately brought them on the stretcher," said Darshan N, a nurse.
A 16-year-old girl from Police Public School and a 15-year-old boy from Ayyappa School, Jalahalli were among those who fainted. Doctors said the children were probably not used to standing for 3-4 hours at a stretch.
"They were dehydrated. Teachers say they had eaten well, but we don't know. Many may have skipped breakfast and couldn't bear the scorching sun for such a long time. Students said they were asked to assemble at 6am. They may have woken up around 5am and not slept well because of the pressure to perform," said Dr Shivanand KM, assistant surgeon, BBMP, who was on duty at the venue. He said the participants should have at least been given two bananas to energize them.
On January 26, 2014, during the Republic Day parade, 64 persons fainted due to the heat, he recalled.
"Students were given breakfast at the school and the Parade Grounds. Maybe our student felt faint after standing for a long time," said Lingaraju, teacher of Ayyappa School.
Expertspeak
It's a typical case of hypoglycemia when the glucose level in the blood dips. Those who fainted may not have had a proper breakfast and I'm not sure if all the children got personal care by teachers and organizers when breakfast was provided. Their last meal may have been the previous night's dinner. Standing for long without fuelling the body can lead to decline in energy levels.
Sheela Krishnaswamy | dietitian and wellness consultant