At least 31 school kids in Kolkata’s govt school fall ill, hospitalised: Officials

While 24 students fell ill on Monday night and were taken to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital with complaints of nausea, vomiting and stomachache, seven more children were admitted on Tuesday

At least 31 school kids studying in a government school at Shyambazar in Kolkata have fallen ill and admitted to a hospital since Monday evening, officials aware of the developments said.

Parents claim that their children fell ill after eating mid day meal while others said their kids complained of poor water quality. (Representative file photo)

While 24 students fell ill on Monday night and were taken to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital with complaints of nausea, vomiting and stomachache, seven more children were admitted on Tuesday.

State health minister Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay went to the hospital late on Monday night to take stock of the situation.

“From around 6pm, some students complained of nausea and stomach ache. The hostel warden promptly rushed the girls to the hospital. Some of the girls were suffering from dehydration. The treatment was started immediately and IV fluid and medicines were given. All the children were doing fine within one hour,” Mukherjee told media persons.

Parents claim that their children fell ill after eating the mid day meal while others said their kids complained of poor water quality.

“My daughter told me that there was a bad smell in the water and after drinking she started feeling sick. By that time a few other girls had also fallen ill,” a student’s mother told media persons at the hospital on Tuesday.

“I am worried. My daughter has fallen ill. She said that it could be from the food or the water in the hostel. She is doing fine now. I am waiting for the doctors to release her,” said another student’s mother.

On Tuesday, teams from the state health department, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections went to the school to collect samples from the kitchen and the water.

“The two kitchens where mid-day meals were cooked for some local schools and the hostel, where the girls were staying, have been sealed by the police. In one of the kitchens, food was cooked for around 6,000 students studying in some local schools. The Ultadanga police station has been asked to make separate arrangements so that the mid-day meal could be cooked for the students,” said a health department official.