33 children fall ill after consuming mid-day meal

“We have sent the food samples to the Food and Drug Administration Department in Vadodara. It looks like the food was stale or had some foreign bodies in it,” said Chief District Health Officer Dr Prakash Vaghela.

According to Shehra CHC Medical Officer R K Chauhan,the children consumed a tomato curry with potatoes and spinach,and wheat sheera,around 11.30 pm. Soon after,some of them started vomiting,while others rushed to the toilet.

“On the face of it,it looks like bacterial infection. But some of the children told us that there were chemicals mixed in the food,” added Chauhan,who had examined the children,mostly tribals from the Naika community dominated village.

Later in the day,the children were discharged after necessary medication. District health officials and education officials also visited the school and collected the samples.

Panchmahals District Education Officer D B Patel said: “At this moment,it will be difficult to say anything till we get the report of the Food and Drug Administration Department. We have instructed all schools to check the food they are serving to ensure that it doesn’t get stale in the rainy season.”