Key Update

Fifteen students from Ravenshaw University’s East Hostel were admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on Wednesday morning after suffering from vomiting and loose motion. Doctors confirmed that all the students are stable and recovering. The students reported falling ill after eating dinner served in the hostel on Tuesday night. They had consumed egg tadka, roti, and bhaji, and soon after the meal, several began vomiting and developed diarrhoea. As the night progressed, more students experienced similar symptoms.

Hostel Authorities Downplay Food Poisoning

Hostel authorities ruled out the possibility of mass food poisoning. They confirmed that none of the 15 students showed new symptoms after admission. East Hostel Warden Sarat Kumar Rout noted that only one student had vomited three times, and since 180 students live in the hostel, more cases would likely have occurred if food poisoning had been the cause.

Past Incidents and Poor Water Facilities

This is not the first incident on the campus. In July, authorities hospitalised 32 students from the New PG and Dharmapada hostels after they allegedly ate stale fish curry. Following the incident, the university dismissed the chief hostel warden, chief warden (boys), deputy chief warden (girls), and the warden of New PG Hostel. Students of East Hostel claimed that poor water facilities continue, noting that one of the two water purifiers has been out of order for months, and the other receives little maintenance.

Health Department Initiates Inspection

Officials from the Health Department and the Cuttack Municipal Corporation’s food safety unit inspected the hostel and its canteen on Wednesday. They collected samples of cooked food and drinking water for laboratory testing to determine the cause of contamination.

Source: Odisha Bytes