Thirteen schoolchildren from a village in West Bengal’s Bankura district fell ill after eating mushrooms cooked at an Integrated Child Development Programme (ICDS) centre. They were first taken to Raipur Rural Hospital with symptoms of food poisoning, including vomiting and severe stomach pain. However, after the condition of some of them deteriorated, they were shifted to Bankura Sammilani Medical College & Hospital, where their condition has improved, sources said.
What is food poisoning?
Poisoned food (1✔ ✔Reliable source
Symptoms of food poisoning
) occurs when people ingest contaminated food or drink, causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Contamination can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or toxins, often due to improper food handling, cooking, or storage. Common culprits include Salmonella, E. coli, and Norovirus.
Symptoms usually appear within hours to days after consumption and can range from mild to severe. Most cases resolve on their own with rest and hydration, but severe cases may require medical treatment. Preventive measures include maintaining good hygiene, cooking food thoroughly, and avoiding cross-contamination.
It was learned that the mushrooms they ate were collected from a local field and, taking advantage of the ICDS kitchen staff, the children themselves cooked and consumed them.
Doctors suspect the children ate infected mushrooms, causing them to suffer from food poisoning.
The children’s parents, however, have complained of negligence by authorities at the ICDS centre, where the children were allowed to cook mushrooms they picked from a local field.
Advertisement
They also claimed that the ICDS centre does not have any perimeter wall and the kitchen does not have a proper door locking system.
Reference:
- Food poisoning symptoms – (https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/signs-symptoms/index.html)
Source-IANS
