Over 100 students from Chikkaballapura district in Karnataka were hospitalised with what doctors have diagnosed as food poisoning, after eating food from their hostel mess.
Around 120 resident students of Chikkaballapura BGS Hostel were taken to the government hospital on Thursday following complaints of stomach pain, nausea, and loose stools after having eaten food served at the hostel mess.
“All the students are recovering well. They are being treated with IV fluids and oral rehydration solution (ORS) to control the dehydration, all are responding well,” said District Health Officer Dr Ravi Shankar to TNM. “As of now, a team of officials have been sent to the hostel and are taking samples of the water and food. These will be analysed and we will be able to confirm what caused so many students to fall ill.”
He further stated that the doctors and officials suspect that the food which was served to the students may have gone bad, as a result of which all the students fell ill.
“We feel that there may have been some preformed toxins on the food, which would have resulted in the food becoming spoiled, as a result of which all the students have fallen ill,” he said.
In a similar incident earlier this month, nearly 80 students of the Veterinary Science Diploma College in Tiptur taluk of Tumkur district, were taken ill after eating breakfast served at the college mess. They were subsequently taken to the government hospital in Tiptur and diagnosed with food poisoning and were treated. While most were treated on an outpatient basis and sent home, a few were admitted for treatment.