Visakhapatnam: Hundreds of students living in hostels at the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge and Technology, Etcherla in Srikakulam district fell ill during the last 24 hours due to suspected food poisoning.
The university medical team treated most of the students, and a few serious cases were admitted to the hospital and released later. The incident came to light on Saturday, following which collector Srikesh Latkar, district medical and health officer Dr B. Meenakshi and other medical staff rushed to the hostel. A medical camp was set up immediately, and three doctors were posted along with supporting staff. The students mostly complained of stomach aches and vomiting. More than 100 students fell sick, university sources said.
“The sick students told me that they had semi-cooked chapati on Thursday night and they started vomiting immediately. It became severe on Friday morning,’’ DMHO Dr Meenakshi told Deccan Chronicle.
The collector said the students would have round-the-clock attention, and if necessary, they would be shifted to a hospital for better treatment. He visited the water treatment plant and kitchens and asked the officials to collect water and food samples.
“We have asked the director of the university to probe the incident and initiate action against the responsible persons,’’ the collector said.
He appealed to the parents not to get worried, as the situation was completely under control. Senior officials accompanied the collector during his visit.
