35 students fall sick in Bengaluru after drinking milk given in school

As many as 35 students of the Government Lower Primary School at Manchegowdana Palya on the outskirts of Bengaluru, fell ill on Monday after drinking milk served under the Ksheera Bhagya scheme.

Some were treated as outpatients at the Primary Health Centre, while others were admitted to the district hospital in Ramanagaram after they complained of stomach pain. “The condition of all the students is stable,” officials of the Department of Health and Family Welfare said.

The milk powder, which was used to prepare the milk under the scheme, was manufactured and supplied in February 2016, Suresh, former gram panchayat member said. As it was almost six months old, some parents, locals and Mr. Suresh alleged that it was “outdated”.

When the teachers prepared the milk and served it to the children, they began complaining of stomach ache, vomiting and diarrhoea. The teachers immediately alerted the Education Department, besides summoning ambulances, Mr. Suresh said.

At least eight ambulances were pressed into service to shift the children to hospital, but according to parents, there wasn’t sufficient staff and facilities to treat the children.

Some anxious parents shifted their wards to the district hospital in Ramanagaram, which is about 20 km from the PHC.

Others took their children to private clinics near Kengeri and Bidadi, a parent said.