About 800 villagers of Marrivalasa, Pathavalasa, and Srungavaram in the limits of K. Kotapadu Police Station were taken ill and hospitalised on Sunday night, after they consumed non-vegetarian food at a ‘coming of age’ ceremony at Marrivalasa in Visakhapatnam district.
According to the police, about 2,000 persons from the three villages attended the lunch hosted by one Ramanaidu of Marrivalasa and about 800 of them reportedly fell sick.
District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) J. Sarojini said the villagers had the symptoms of diarrhoea and complained of vomiting and stomach pain. About 500 of them were taken to the Public Health Centre and a school where a medical camp was set up in Marrivalasa, while another 300 were treated at a makeshift camp in K. Kotapadu. Five doctors and 15 paramedic staff were sent to the medical camps with over 3,000 IV fluid sachets and required medicine to treat them, the DMHO told The Hindu.
By Monday evening almost all of them were discharged except 30 villagers in K. Kotapadu and four in Marrivalasa.
Chodavaram Circle Inspector B. Murali said that the food samples were collected by the Food Inspector and sent to the lab. “The report is expected in three days and based on it further action will be initiated,” he said. The Food Inspector collected the water sachets that were served at the lunch for testing.
