Nearly 60 students fall ill after taking noon meal in Odisha

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Sonepur, Feb 6:

At least sixty students of a government-run school today took ill after consuming mid-day meal in the school in Odisha’s Sonepur district.

The students from Kendupalli Upper Primary School under Biramaharajpur block here were rushed to Biramaharajpur primary health centre (PHC) after they complained of nausea accompanied by abdominal pain moments after taking mid-day meal in the school.

“Around 60 students have been admitted to the PHC with complaints of vomiting, nausea and abdominal discomfort. Of them, the condition of about five-six students is serious. Three of them have been administered medicine through intraveinous (IV) route. The condition of other students is improving after they were provided with medical care,” an attending doctor of the healthcare centre, Swapnesh Mishra said.

According to reports, some students complained to the teachers about abdominal discomfort post noon after having lunch in the school.

“I experienced burning sensation in the stomach while I was cleaning my plate after having noon meal. I reported this to the teacher following which teacher asked some fellow students to drop me at my home. But later, my condition deteriorated,” a student of the school admitted in the hospital said.

Tension prevailed in the school campus as the parents locked the teachers inside the classrooms alleging negligence of the school authorities.

Later, district administration officials and local police visited the school and hospital to enquire about the incident.