Kakinada: As many as 52 students of the Dr B R Ambedkar Residential School at Draksharama in Ramachandrapuram mandal of Konaseema district fell ill due to food poisoning. Of them, eight were suffering from acute diarrhoea, officials said on Monday.
The health department arranged a camp in the hostel by deploying three medical teams to offer treatment to the affected students.
“As many as 450 students are living in the hostel. There is a provision for the students to take home-cooked food brought in by their parents. On Saturday, some parents brought biryani and other non-vegetarian items for their children at the hostel. On Sunday, according to the hostel menu, the officials gave chicken biryani and chicken curry to them and on Sunday night, the students ate Semiya Upma, officials investigating the case said.
The officials said the students later complained of indigestion problems. On Monday, the students started vomiting and having loose motions. The hostel immediately summoned doctors who referred eight students to the Area Hospital at Ramachandrapuram.
The Konaseema district health officer M Durga Rao Doa visited the hostel to observe the health condition of the students. He said that a medical camp was set up at the hostel with three teams – each having one doctor, a staff nurse, an ANM and an ASHA worker.
He said a report has been submitted to the Konaseema district collector Himanshu Shukla.
