Another incident of suspected food poisoning was reported in Kerala on Tuesday, May 3, one of several in the past few days in the state, with 18 members of a tourist group suffering health problems after at three separate restaurants in Wayanad. An officer from Kambalakkad police station, where one of the eateries in question is located, said the tourist group comprising 23 people had come from Thiruvananthapuram to Wayanad and eaten at three different places in the district on Monday. Therefore, it cannot be said right now as to what dish from which restaurant was the cause of the suspected food poisoning, he said.
It was after having dinner at an eatery in Kalpetta on Monday night that they started experiencing problems and discomfort, the officer said, adding that teams of police and health officials have gone to inspect all three establishments. Police also said the health of all 18 persons was stable.
The latest incident comes just a couple of days after a 16-year-old girl died and 49 others were hospitalised due to food poisoning after they ate shawarma from an eatery in Kasaragod. Shawarma is thinly sliced pieces of marinated meat, like lamb, chicken or beef, rolled into a flat bread. Thereafter, incidents of suspected food poisoning were also reported from Malappuram and Kollam on Monday, though in both incidents none were seriously affected, according to the police.
The suspected food poisoning incident in Kasaragod also prompted the Health Department to issue directions to ensure the Levantine dish was prepared in a manner that was safe for consumption.
State Health Minister Veena George on Monday had said directions have been issued to the Food Safety Commissioner to ensure neat and clean preparation of the dish for customers. She had also said the state government will provide free medical treatment for all those who were affected after eating the dish from the eatery in question, at government hospitals.
Devananda, the 16-year-old girl from Karivallor near Kasaragod, died at the Kanhangad district hospital on Sunday while undergoing treatment for food poisoning. Forty-nine students were hospitalised and some were discharged after undergoing treatment.