50 more students affected by food poisoning at Osmania Medical College
Hyderabad: An entire hostel of the Osmania Medical College, including 19 students who were admitted to the Gandhi Hospital on Monday, have been affected by food poisoning. Other than the 19 students who were rushed to the hospital with severe symptoms, at least 50 others were being treated for mild symptoms.
The incident came to light when Osmania Medical College Student Council head Sai Surender, a final year MBBS student, reported to the principal that several inmates of the boys hostel were showing food poisoning symptoms on Sunday evening.
Early on Monday morning, principal Dr Shashikala Reddy instructed an investigative committee to be formed and students were segregated on the basis of their symptoms.
“At first, it began with my roommate who started vomiting and feeling nauseous. By Sunday evening, I got to know that the entire hostel had been affected. The investigation is underway, but we think it could have been the Saturday afternoon lunch at the college mess that started it,” said Surender.
He added that every second Saturday, the mess at the college is closed for dinner, and students either arrange for food from outside or eat at the college canteen. “It is exam time and so most of us are avoiding eating outside food these days. I ate the same food at the mess on Saturday, but did get affected, maybe because I did not eat some particular items. Students started to experience the first episode at around 11 pm. Because the incubation period is eight hours for food poisoning symptoms to show, it seems like it was the lunch that started it,” Surender added.
Principal Dr Reddy said that the investigative committee is taking samples of the food and water at the college mess to analyse the cause of the problem. Blood and stool samples of affected students have also been taken, and results should be out in a few days.
Responding to concerns over the delay in admitting the 19 students to hospital, Dr Reddy said that they had, upon identification of severely affected students, rushed them to the Osmania General Hospital.
Due to the lack of space and beds, they were directed to the Fever Hospital. Due to lack of readiness to take these patients on a short notice, the medical officer at the college sent them to Gandhi Hospital, where they are now said to be stable and recovering.
