19 ill after mid-day meal at Goa school

One girl suffered bouts of vomiting after consuming the meal while others felt uneasy

At least 19 students of a government-aided high school at Pernem taluka in Goa fell ill after eating their mid-day meal on Saturday, officials said.

While a girl was hospitalised at a primary health centre in Tuem, about 40 km from Panaji, the rest of the students of the Kamleshwar High School were discharged after initial treatment, they said.

 

The girl suffered bouts of vomiting after consuming the meal while others felt uneasy, the officials said. Though the girl is reported to be out of danger, she is under observation. "It is yet to be ascertained if the incident happened due to food poisoning," an official said. The affected children are students studying from class V to class VII, he said.

Initial reports said that a spider was found in the meal but the official dismissed them as a "rumour".

 

The job of serving the mid-day meal was assigned to a non-governmental organisation, Brahmanandacharya Self Help Group.

The NGO has also been serving the meal to 13 primary schools and eight secondary schools, officials said.

This is the second such incident which has hit the state during this week. Earlier this week, around 22 students from St Joseph High School were referred to a hospital due to suspected food poisoning after eating the mid-day meal.