Two food poisoning incidents in separate areas of India are getting attention for the large numbers of people sickened. The exact source of the illnesses remain unknown.
Local residents in Jewar say as many as 300 suffered from food poisoning after eating at a ‘shraddh’ ceremony at the nearby Chiroli village on Monday. District officials are investigating and so far suspect that food served for lunch was contaminated.
Officially, more than 150 were sickened, including many women and children, with symptoms including vomiting, stomach ache and headache. The Times of India reported the foodborne illnesses followed a lunch served in conjunction with funeral ceremonies for a family’s 90-year-old mother.
The villagers were served between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday and it was long after that before the first people became feeling to feel ill. A team of doctors and nurses were called to the village to treat the illnesses. Some cases were treated at local hospitals and nursing homes.
Samples of the foods served at the post-death ‘terahvi’ ritual were collected for laboratory analysis.
India’s town of Jewar is a municipality in the Gautam Buddha Nagar District in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Another large food poisoning incident occurred over the weekend in the educational center of Pune, in western India. A total of 132 students were admitted to local hospitals Saturday when illnesses followed a mid-day meal. The students suffered from vomiting and nausea.
All but 12 were discharged from hospitals on Sunday. The Times of India reported that Poona Hospital, Global Hospital, and the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital divided up the cases. All were discharged on Monday.
Pune is India’s eighth largest metropolis and is located in the state of Maharashtra.
In neither food poisoning incident did Indian officials disclose the exact type of foodborne illness involved.
