Contaminated Midday Meal Incidents: Over 10 Students Fall Ill In Odisha's Bhadrak District

In a distressing incident at Ekha Primary School in Odisha's Bhadrak district, more than 10 students fell ill on Saturday morning after consuming a midday meal allegedly contaminated with a dead lizard. The students experienced vomiting and discomfort, prompting authorities to investigate and discover the presence of the deceased reptile in the meal. The central kitchen system of the school had prepared and delivered the tainted food, leading to an immediate halt in the meal service.

Emergency medical care was swiftly administered to the affected students, who were promptly transported to a nearby hospital. Senior officials from the state education department arrived at the school to inspect the premises and assess the situation.

Chakradhar Mallik, Block Education Officer, expressed concern, stating, "After receiving information about the discovery of a lizard in the midday meal, we promptly arrived at the school. A few days ago, we also received information about a similar case. An enquiry will be conducted on Monday to determine why this happened and who was responsible for it."

This unfortunate incident follows a similar occurrence on March 4, where 25 students from another school in the same district were hospitalized after consuming a midday meal allegedly contaminated with a dead lizard. These incidents underscore the need for stringent measures to ensure the safety and quality of school meals, prompting authorities to investigate the root causes and implement preventive measures.