Maharashtra: Over 50 hospitalised due to food poisoning in Nanded after having Ekadashi meals during pilgrimage

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Over 50 individuals were hospitalised in Nanded district of Maharashtra on Sunday for food poisoning after having 'bhagar' (barnyard millet) and peanut paste during a pilgrimage, an official said, PTI reported.

The incident took place in Mahur, about 640 kilometres from Mumbai, the official added.

"After having bhagar and peanut paste on Ekadashi on Saturday night, some 50 devotees who had come for Thakur Buwa pilgrimage here started vomiting this morning. They were rushed to Mahur rural hospital. The condition of four was critical. However, doctors have now said all the patients are fine and would be discharged soon," the official informed, PTI cited.

Thane civic school's 41 students hospitalised with food poisoning symptoms

Last October, at least 41 students of a civic school in Thane district of Maharashtra were hospitalised after they showed symptoms of food poisoning, an official said, reported the PTI.

The children from the civic-run school in the Diva-Agasan area complained of upset stomachs after having the mid-day meal on the premises. All are stable, said the senior official from the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), according to the PTI.

A team of doctors from the corporation-run Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj hospital in Kalwa was sent to the school to provide preliminary treatment.

Later, 41 students were taken to the Kalwa hospital for observation, said Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Health) GG Godepure.

TMC Commissioner Saurabh Rao said the trouble began after students from Standards V to VII consumed the 'khichdi' (a rice and lentil dish) served to them as part of the mid-day meal, as per the PTI.

"All the students are stable now," he said, as per the PTI.

The TMC chief said that officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected the kitchen and other cooking facilities and collected samples of the khichdi. Action will be taken after an inquiry, said Saurabh Rao, the news agency reported.

In another similar incident, earlier this month, over thirty-eight students from a school in Thane's Kharegaon-Kalwa were hospitalised following a case of suspected food poisoning on October 1.

The students fell ill after consuming 'khichdi' and 'usal' served during lunch at the school as part of their mid-day meal.

The incident had occurred at a private school in Kalwa area of Thane district in Maharashtra, the officials said earlier.

As their condition worsened, the students complained of dizziness, nausea, headaches, and severe abdominal pain. They were immediately admitted to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, Kalwa, where they were reported to be in stable condition, the officials had said.

A medical officer at the hospital added that while the children are out of danger, food samples have been collected for testing to determine the exact cause. Local civic authorities and the police have launched an investigation into the matter.

(With inputs from PTI)