Seven additional children have fallen ill due to suspected food poisoning after consuming a mid-day meal at a private school near Thane city in Maharashtra, bringing the total number of minors hospitalized to 45, officials reported on Wednesday. The affected children, aged between 8 and 11 years, were admitted to a civic hospital in Kalwa after experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, headaches, and abdominal pain following lunch on Tuesday, according to medical officials at the hospital.
Initially, 38 students were hospitalized on Tuesday, with seven more being admitted to the facility late that night. The children are currently under observation, and if deemed fit, they will be discharged by Wednesday afternoon, according to Dr. Aniruddha Malgaonkar, the hospital's medical in-charge, in a statement to PTI.
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All the children were out of danger and responding to the medical treatment, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) Additional Commissioner Sandeep Malvi said on Tuesday. He confirmed that the children had eaten a mid-day meal at the private school. Another medical official said the students were served rice and moth bean (matki) curry as the meal.
Food samples served to the students have been collected by FDA officials for testing. Initially, five students reported feeling unwell, but that number increased over time. "Ambulances were called by the school administration, and the students were quickly transported to the hospital," officials stated. The parents of the affected children were also present at the hospital.