Mumbai: 30 children fall sick after consuming food at madrassa in Bhiwandi

Mumbai: Around thirty students from Madrassa Darul Uloom Diwan Shah diagnosed with food poisoning after having food at a public lunch program in Bhiwandi area on Tuesday. The children were served food at a feast organised by a person at his place in Bhiwandi on Tuesday afternoon. All the students, aged between 10 and 14 years, were admitted at Nair Hospital.

The incident happened in Bhiwandi’s Rohan Baugh area, all Madrasa’s students were invited in Niyaaz function by Atahullah Shaikh (30) a businessman and resident of Bhiwandi area and Mutton Biryani was served at the feast. On Tuesday, over 1,000 people participated in a public lunch programme where around 60 students from the Madrassa were also invited for it. But after having the food, few of the children started puking and diarrhoea. Later, they were taken to private hospitals where under medication, their health condition improved.

But again, on Wednesday around thirty students showed signs of deterioration. Most of the victims, aged between 5-18 year-olds, were rescued parent-less children from different parts of the country who were given shelter at the Madrassa. “We were invited for reciting Quran at Mr Shaikh’s place and after reciting the Quran, we were served with mutton Biryani and sheera on 16th afternoon,” said Nabeel Ahmed, student.

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“Some children started having a convulsion, while others couldn’t move their heads and body parts. The legs and hands got stiff and some complained that they could not feel their tongues. The eyes rolled back and their movement stopped. So, we immediately rushed them to a private hospital but there they referred us to take them to a tertiary-level hospital in Mumbai,” said a senior worker from the Madrassa.

As the condition of five children were severely affected, the officials and social workers on Wednesday night, admitted the children to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital. Few of the children were also taken to Thane Civil Hospital. But later, all of them were shifted to Nair Hospital late night around 11 pm.

A doctor overseeing the case said, “There is a possibility of botulism poisoning, which is a rare and possibly fatal illness caused by consumption of improperly canned or preserved foods. The symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, headache and fever. But we can not be certain until we check all their medical reports.”

All of them are stable and out of danger, but are under observation for a day, they will be discharged soon. Nair Hospital Dean, Dr Ramesh Bharmal said, “Yesterday night we got a call that, 27 patients are suffering from stomach ache will be rushed to our hospital.” The FDA and police have taken the food samples as well as stomach wash and sent to Kalina laboratory to find out the cause of the food poisoning. “We have conducted a medical evaluation and all are out of danger, we have informed to the local police station as well as Food Drugs and Administration (FDA) department for further inquiry,” he said.