900 fall ill after eating 'prasad' served in a ceremony

Around 900 people have taken ill after consuming 'prasad' distributed in a religious function at Mitpukuria village in North 24 Parganas district, a health official said today.
While most of the affected people were discharged from hospital, 150 of them are still admitted. The condition of one of them, a 12-year-old girl, is critical and she is in ventilation.
They all complained of stomach pain, loose motion and vomiting after eating 'prasad' at the ceremony on Tuesday night and started coming to hospital from the following day, the district's Chief Medical Officer (Health) Proloy Acharya said.
People of Mitpukuria, Kalikapur, Sardarhati and Mallikpara villages under Shasan police station attended the religious programme.

Even today many people are coming for treatment with similar ailments, Acharya said.
The Health department has collected samples of the 'prasad' served on Tuesday.
While medical camps have been set up in the area, medical teams were sent for door to door visit because of the large number of patients, he said.