Atleast 27 Students Fall Ill After Consuming Mid-day Meal At Kota School, Probe Underway

Concerns over the safety of school meals have resurfaced after 27 students fell ill at a government school in Kota's Poonia Devli village on Monday, with authorities launching an inquiry into the incident, according to PTI.

The students, from Classes 1 to 8 at the Government Upper Primary School in the Ranpur police station area, reported nausea, vomiting, stomach aches and dizziness, officials said.

Twenty-one of the affected children were taken to Kota after their condition worsened. 17 were admitted to the government-run New Medical College Hospital, while four were admitted to a private hospital. All the children are now in stable condition.

According to officials and school staff, 110 of the school's 130 enrolled students were present when the mid-day meal, which included a pumpkin preparation, was served. Several children began complaining of illness around 1PM, about two hours after the meal.

Food Safety Probe

School principal Chandra Prakash said the school had been dismissed and the children were preparing to leave when several students complained of feeling unwell. Those with severe symptoms were taken to Kota for treatment.

A parent of one of the affected children alleged that her Class 4 son Rahul felt dizzy after eating the pumpkin curry and collapsed. She said his condition worsened after he reached home, following which he was taken to a dispensary and then to a hospital in Kota. She also alleged that no teacher or school staff accompanied the children to the medical facility.

District Education Officer (Elementary) Rup Singh Meena visited the hospital to assess the condition of the children. He said 27 students had reported discomfort, but most were stable and under observation, with four to five requiring formal admission.

Meena said an inquiry had been initiated to determine the cause of the illness.

He said the mid-day meal was prepared and supplied by Annapurna Sahakari Samiti to eight or nine schools. Although students at those schools had consumed the same food, no illness had been reported among them, he said.

Meena said it was too early to conclusively establish that the mid-day meal was responsible for the illness. Officials are also examining whether extreme heat, humidity or local water contamination could have contributed to the incident.

Medical teams have been deployed to the school, while officials are awaiting laboratory and medical test reports before reaching a conclusion.

Dr Mayank, the attending medical officer, said vomiting was the primary symptom reported by the children, with most experiencing one or two episodes. All admitted students were stable and had normal vital signs, he said.

Mid-Day Meal Incident In Bihar

The Kota incident comes a week after 34 students were taken to hospital in Bihar's Nalanda district after allegedly consuming detergent powder that was mistakenly served instead of salt with their mid-day meal.

The incident, reported by Outlook India earlier in August, took place at Middle School, Parasi, in Noorsarai block. The 17 boys and 17 girls were admitted to Biharsharif Sadar Hospital after complaining of throat and stomach pain.

The district administration said the children were examined by doctors and were healthy and out of danger.

According to PTI, school headmaster Shailendra Kumar Singh said the mistake occurred when a student asked for additional salt and a cook allegedly picked up detergent powder instead and added it to the student's food.

The two incidents have drawn attention to safety concerns surrounding school meals, though the cause of the Kota children's illness has not yet been established and officials are awaiting test reports.