On Sunday evening, 40 girls from the BC Ladies Hostel in Suryapet in Telangana were admitted to the local government hospital after presenting with symptoms of food poisoning. The girls had all eaten dal and rice for dinner at their hostel mess and within hours, all of them developed severe stomach pain and vomiting, and had to be taken to the Suryapet Government Hospital.

Doctors at the hospital immediately began treatment for food poisoning, after which all 40 of them recovered and were discharged, according to officials from the Suryapet District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Dr Niranjan’s office.

“The girls were admitted on Sunday immediately after they began presenting with vomiting and stomach pain. They were all treated and discharged,” said an official from the DMHO’s office. “We have arranged for a team of health experts to follow up on the issue with the hostel and are taking efforts to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again,” the official added.

A team of doctors and medical personnel have set up a camp at the hostel under the guidance of Deputy DMHO Dr P Venkatramana. The team plans to screen the other girls in the hostel and monitor the situation closely to ensure that such an outbreak does not occur again.

“As of now all the girls who presented symptoms have been cured and sent home, but we are taking these steps to make sure that no one suddenly presents with the same issues in case someone is affected by food poisoning later. We will also make sure to take steps to keep this from occurring again,” added the official.

Earlier this month, a similar incident took place in Kannur, wherein 11 students at the Municipal High School sports hostel fell ill after eating biryani that was served at the hostel the night before. Hospital authorities treated the children for food poisoning and discharged them shortly thereafter.