Food poisoning: students discharged from hospital; food suppliers warned

Mangalore, February 9: Over two dozens of students of St Joseph Higher Primary School at Kankanady fell ill soon after consuming the mid-day meals on Thursday afternoon.

The students complained of stomach-ache and vomiting after having lunch, supplied by 'Seva Meals' caterer from Jeppu. They were rushed to a nearby private hospital by the localites, when the school management allegedly turned an indifferent eye towards the ailing kids. The condition of four students was worse.

However, after the receiving treatment all the students were discharged by evening, confirmed the hospital and school sources.

According to Ayesha, a Class VII student, some of her classmates complained of stomach ache and vomited an hour after they had lunch. “We had rice and rasam around 12:30 pm my classmates began feeling sick around 1pm,” she said and added “I did not consume meals as it was smelling bad”

Ashraf, a flower vendor, who has a small shop next to the school, said that around 1:45 pm, he heard children crying from inside the school. “We came to know that the children were suffering from stomach pain, vomiting and dysentery. Even though I and my friends requested the school authorities to take them to hospital, they responded negatively saying doctors would come to school. Finally we ourselves shifted children to the hospital by auto rickshaw”, he said.

Sr. Lilies, Vice President of Bethany Education Society, which manages the aided School, said that only one container of rice had problem and children who consumed food from that particular container fell ill.

Meanwhile, Zilla Panchayath Chief Executive Officer KN Vijay Prakash said Seva Meals, the caterer from Jeppu supplying food to the school, had been given a warning following the incident.

The caterer had been supplying noon meals to 27 schools in and around Mangalore. Mr. Prakash said that the Education Department officials had been asked to collect and test the samples of food supplied to the 27 schools.

“If such incident recurs, the contract will be terminated” he added.