Chhattisgarh: 77 people, mostly kids, fall ill after consuming food at weekly market

Rajnandgaon: Seventy-seven people, most of them children, fell ill after consuming various food items at a weekly market in a village in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district, a health official said on Wednesday.

The market was held on Tuesday in Gatapar Kala village under Thelkadih police station area limits, Rajnandgaon’s chief medical and health officer Dr. Mithlesh Chaudhary said.

As per preliminary information, these people had consumed ‘gupchup’ (pani puri-a spicy snack) and other food items. Later, in the evening, they complained of uneasiness and vomiting following which they were rushed to a nearby health center, the official said.

From there, 77 people, including 57 children, were shifted to a medical college hospital in Pendri area for further treatment, he said.

Out of them, 26 were discharged on Wednesday morning, while the others were kept under observation and their condition was reported to be out of danger, the official said.

Prima facie, food poisoning seems to be the cause of the illness, the official said, adding that further probe was underway into the matter.

Following the incident, a health camp was organized on Wednesday in Gatapar Kala village for the medical examination of residents, he said.

On October 6, nearly 100 people, mostly children, fell sick after eating a meal at a post-death ritual in a village in Mahasamund district. Besides, 17 people had fallen sick at a village in Bilaspur district on October 17 after consuming food at a similar event.