Palamu (Jharkhand), March 12 (IANS) More than 100 villagers fell ill following a suspected case of food poisoning after consuming food at a wedding feast in Bohita village under Satbarwa block of Palamu district in Jharkhand, officials said on Thursday.
The incident triggered panic in the village. In response, the district administration has set up a temporary medical camp at the village school to treat the affected people.
Officials said around 10 persons are in critical condition and have been referred to Medininagar Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) and the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Lesliganj for better treatment.
According to locals, Harishankar Chandravanshi, a resident of Bohita village, had organised a feast for villagers and guests ahead of the wedding ceremony of his son, Lavkush Sharma, on Wednesday evening. The menu reportedly included puris, vegetables and bundi.
Within hours of consuming food, several people began complaining of vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness and severe stomach pain. By Thursday morning, reports of illness started emerging from several households in the village.
Villager Sudeshwar Singh said some people experienced sudden weakness and dizziness while heading to the fields in the morning, and the number of affected individuals soon crossed 100.
Following the sudden surge in patients, the health department converted the primary school at Pokharpar Tola into a temporary treatment centre. Due to a shortage of beds, many patients were administered saline on mats laid out on the school veranda.
Palamu Civil Surgeon Dr Anil Kumar Srivastava reached the village along with a team of health officials to oversee the relief measures. He directed that critically ill patients be immediately shifted to hospitals by ambulance, while others be treated at the temporary camp in the village.
Four ambulances have been deployed in the area to respond to emergencies.
The Civil Surgeon said the incident appears to be a case of food poisoning, though the exact cause will be confirmed only after testing the food samples. A medical team has been stationed in the village and is closely monitoring the situation.
–IANS
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