JAIPUR: At least 140 people fell ill after allegedly consuming ‘stale’ food at a religious function held at Paniyala village of Nawagaon gram panchayat of Banswara district late on Saturday evening.
Patients with complaints of diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pain started pouring in at the district hospital of Banswara till 12 midnight. Since the condition of 76 patients was deteriorating, the hospital administration admitted them for treatment.
“Thirty-five patients, most of them children, are undergoing treatment at the indoor patient department. All of them are stable. We will discharge them tomorrow as we have kept them under observation,” said Dr Khushpal Singh Rathore, principal medical officer (PMO) of Banswara district hospital, on Sunday.
Doctors asking the patients about the food they had consumed were told that it was sweets and rice at the religious function, which was attended by over 200 people.
“The sweets were prepared 2-3 days prior to the religious function. We suspect that it could be the cause of people falling ill after consuming it,” said Dr Rathore.
As the patients continued to reach to the hospital in large numbers, the hospital administration swung into action and immediately took decisions for making arrangement to admit all the patients for treatment.
The function was organized in the village, and, after the rituals, food was served to those attended it. There were women, the elderly, children and youths among those who partook of the food.
Soon after consuming the food, they complained of stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea-like symptoms.
Doctors at the hospital administered them intravenous fluid to keep them hydrated and provided other medications. Timely treatment ensured that almost half of 140 patients did not require admission at the hospital.
The 76 people admitted at the hospital had severe symptoms of food poisoning, said sources.
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