100 pupils of Kerala school in hospital in suspected case of food poisoning

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Wayanad. @JNV Wayanad / Facebook

As many as 100 pupils of a boarding school in southern Kerala were admitted to a hospital after they complained of abdominal pain and diarrhoea. This is the latest incident of a suspected case of food poisoning in the state.

The pupils of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Wayanad district fell ill after they consumed the hostel food during the past few days, prompting authorities to admit them to a hospital.

A team of experts from the health department carried out an inspection and collected drinking water samples from the hostel and sent them for lab tests, the district administration said.

The first case was reported on January 24 and by January 30, 98 pupils had fallen ill, the administration said.

In a similar incident food poisoning, 100 nursing students from Snehodaya College in Thrissur, Kerala, fell ill after eating food served in the college hostel on January 26.

The state has been hit by cases of food poisoning in recent months, drawing concerns about food safety.

At least two people, both customers in separate cases, have died in the state since December last year because of alleged food poisoning.

A 19-year-old woman, who died, is said to have battled food poisoning symptoms for a week in Kasaragod on January 7. She was reportedly served contaminated food at a restaurant there.

She had consumed a dish, manthi or mandi which is a Middle-Eastern meat and rice dish popular in the coastal state due to its expat community, ordered from a restaurant online. Four of her family members also fell ill but they recovered.

A 33-year-old nurse had died and more than two dozen suffered from food poisoning after eating at a restaurant in Kottayam on December 29.

The deaths prompted the Kerala Health Department and Food Safety Department to conduct inspections across eateries in the state.

More than 500 eateries were raided of which 48 were suspended for flouting food hygiene rules or operating without a proper licence.