Forty students fell ill after eating food at a government hostel in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar district, of which 25 were admitted to hospital. DM said that the children have suffered food poisoning and the condition of all is stable. Samples have been taken to investigate the matter.
Forty students fell ill after eating food at a hostel of the Social Welfare Department in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar district, of which 25 have been admitted to hospital. District Magistrate Mithali Sethi said that all the affected children are currently stable.
Sethi visited Shahada hospital on Saturday and took stock of the condition of the students and said that symptoms of both food poisoning and gastritis were found in the children. “In Shahada, where we have a social welfare hostel, 40 children have been found with mixed symptoms of food poisoning and gastritis. Twenty-five of them have been admitted to the hospital. Twenty are in the rural hospital in Shahada, and five children had some problems with oxygen and blood pressure, so they have been admitted to the ICU. All 25 children are stable at the moment, and I am taking regular updates from the doctor,” Sethi told reporters yesterday.
He said that the condition of most of the students admitted in the rural hospital has become stable and they are likely to be discharged after observation. “Most of the children at the rural hospital here have also been stabilised. They have been kept there for 24 hours and will be discharged. Arrangements for accommodation and food for the parents are being made,” he said.
Samples sent for testing
The District Magistrate said that food and vomit samples have been collected for laboratory testing to find out the cause of the disease. “Food samples have been taken, and some vomit samples have also been taken for testing. Based on that lab report, we can fix accountability,” he said.
Action will be taken against those who are negligent
Sethi further said that responsibility will be fixed after investigation and action will be taken against whoever is found guilty. “We are also working on fixing the accountability of the headmaster, social welfare officer and warden. The police team is also present here, and we are coordinating with the police station to address the concerns of parents,” he said.
Hostel facilities will be reviewed
He said the district administration would review the functioning of the hostels in the next two months and strengthen the facilities. Sethi said, “In the next two months, we will visit hostels and resolve the issues thoroughly. We will also allocate more money from the district fund and clear any shortfall with parents. Till this system is established, I will review it every 15 days.”
Further investigation of the case is underway and officials are waiting for the laboratory test report. (ANI)
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