KOTA BARU (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - There seems to be an "epidemic" of mass hysteria after three more schools were affected over the past one week.

The latest schools to be struck with the "body possession phenomenon" are SMK Pengkalan Chepa 1 (five female students), SMK Kemumin (20 students) and SMK Kubang Kerman 3 (eight students).

The school administration of SMK Pengkalan Chepa 1 managed to control the situation by sending the affected students home to stop other students from being affected.

A students affairs head, who declined to be named, confirmed that the students were struck by alleged hysteria.

At SMK Kemumin, 20 female students from four classes were overwhelmed by the same phenomenon and were immediately sent home.

A check at the school at 8am on Monday (April 18) showed that the students were gathered to recite religious verses in an attempt to rid the bad spirits from the school.

Meanwhile, a renowned local traditional medicine expert, Wiru Sankala, said the hot weather and repressed emotion and the reports of the mass hysteria that went viral could be the cause of the hysteria that has affected several schools.

State deputy education director Jaafar Ismail said the schools should be left alone to sort out the problem.

SMK Pengkalan Chepa 2 first reported cases of hysteria last Monday, affecting more than 100 students and teachers. The school was shut down on Thursday.