Nearly 100 students fall sick in Kerala school; health personnel hold inspection

KERALA: Close to 100 students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Lakkidi area of Wayanad district of Kerala developed vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain over the last few days, prompting the State Health Department to visit the place and intensify preventive measures.

With a large number of students from the boarding school hospitalised over the weekend at the Vythiri Taluk hospital, there were reports of a suspected case of food-poisoning. Subsequently, an expert team of the Health Department carried out an inspection, a release issued by the district administration said.

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The team collected drinking water samples from the institution and sent them for a test at the Kozhikode Regional Public Health Lab. Stool and blood samples of the children were sent to the Alappuzha Institute of Virology, and the Bathery Public Health Lab respectively, the release said.

It further said one child had symptoms of being ill on January 24, 11 on January 27, 20 on January 29 and 66 on Monday of the total of 98 students, who were admitted to the Taluk hospital. Though none of the children were in serious condition, they were being monitored, said the district administration.

Meanwhile, students, teachers, parents and kitchen workers in the institute were instructed to take precautions, it added. There were 486 students studying at the government-run boarding school.