Food poisoning suspected after 35 tribal girl students fall ill

Devarakonda (Nalgonda): Over 35 students of the Mudigonda Tribal Ashram Girls School of Devarakonda Mandal of Nalgonda district fell ill on Monday allegedly due to food poisoning.

According to details, the residential school accommodates and educates around 310 girls from Classes 3 to 10. On Sunday evening, the students were served guggillu (spiced Bengal gram) as snacks, followed by a chicken meal at night. After dinner, some students began feeling uneasy. The next morning, the students were served pulihora (tamarind rice) for breakfast. Soon after eating it, around 35 students complained of stomach pain and diarrhoea. School staff quickly shifted 20 of the affected girls to the Thoorpupalli Primary Health Centre and another 20 to the Devarakonda Area Hospital for treatment.

On receiving information, Devarakonda RDO Ramana Reddy rushed to the hospital, inquired about the students’ condition and the possible reasons for their illness. Later, he visited the school hostel along with CI Narasimhulu and Tahsildar Madhusudhan Reddy. They questioned staff about the food items served on Sunday night and Monday morning and inspected the hostel kitchen.

District Collector Ila Tripathi continuously monitored the situation via phone and instructed the RDO to ensure the students received proper medical care. Upon learning of the incident, many parents rushed to the hostel to check on their children.

Leaders from SFI, AISF, and BRSV, including Valamalla Anjaneyulu, Budiga Venkatesh, and Vemula Raju, visited the hospital and alleged that food poisoning was the cause of the illness. They demanded an inquiry by senior district officials.

RDO Ramana Reddy spoke to the affected students at the hospital. Following instructions from the District Collector, a medical camp was set up at the hostel with three medical officers on standby. He assured that the health conditions of the girls would be continuously monitored. He confirmed that the condition of the affected students is currently stable.