23 fall ill, case registered against two self-help groups
TEAM HERALD
PONDA: Barely three weeks after 86 students took ill after eating mid-day meals in Canacona, the mid-day meal scare returned to haunt the state on Friday when 23 students fell ill at a school in Usgao.
According to reports, 23 students from Std 5 and 6 at St Joseph High School at Usgao were admitted to the Ponda sub district hospital on Friday, after they complained of abdominal pain. Doctors suspect that food poisoning may have caused the students to fall ill.
Doctors at the hospital told Herald that all students were out of danger and except for one student, the other students were discharged by 4 pm.
“It is a suspected case of food poisoning and 23 children, in the age group of 10 to 13 years were admitted in the hospital on Friday morning. All were administered first aid and were kept under observation,” informed Ponda sub district hospital Medical Superintendent Dr M Mohandas.
“Of the 23 students, 22 have been discharged while a student, Mahendra Patkar, has been kept under observation, but his condition is stable,” added Dr Mohandas.
The incident occurred at about 11.15 am, about 40 minutes after students consumed the food supplied under the mid-day meal scheme. When students of Std 5 and 6 began complaining of abdominal pain, teachers alerted a 108 ambulance and the students were shifted to the sub-district hospital at Ponda, which is about 8 kms from Usgao.
Ponda police said the mid-day meal (pulao and patal bhaji) was supplied by two self-help groups (SHGs) from Ponda and both groups will be booked in this connection.
“We have registered a case against the two SHGs and depending on the report of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), further action will be taken. The affected students included 19 boys and four girls”, informed Ponda Deputy Superintendent of Police Dinraj Govenkar.
Meanwhile, a team from the FDA took food samples from the St Joseph High School Usgao and also picked up samples from the place where the two SHGs had prepared the food items.
“Food safety officers have drawn samples for testing from the balance leftover food comprising bhaji, pulao and pao. Samples were also taken from the premises of the SHGs and will be sent to FDA laboraotry at Bambolim for testing. The report is expected by Thursday” states a communiqué issued by the FDA.
“Incidentally on July 13, FDA officers had inspected the premises of both these two SHGs while food was being prepared and no major sanitation lapses were detected”, added the communiqué.
Ponda legislator Lavoo Mamledar visited Ponda sub district hospital to inquire about the health of students, while Govenkar and Collem Police Inspector Jivba Dalvi, who is holding additional charge of Ponda police station, were also present at the hospital to take stock of the situation.
