School meal leaves 11 students sick

Eleven primary school students fell ill after eating boiled eggs served under the school feeding programme in Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat on Wednesday.

The affected students were admitted to the Sharankhola Upazila Health Complex for treatment. The incident occurred at 98 East Dhansagar Government Primary School in Dhansagar Union.

The students are from Classes III, IV and V.
Meanwhile, the authorities have announced plans to collect egg samples for laboratory testing to determine the cause of the incident.

Acting Headteacher Nasima Akter said the eggs were boiled and served to the students under the supervision of teachers and appeared to be in good condition.

“The students of the first shift also ate the same eggs and none of them fell ill. We cannot yet confirm the reason behind the incident,” she said.

Alim Al Raji Mukti, programme manager of Osaka, the contractor responsible for supplying food under the programme, said eggs were distributed simultaneously to 114 government primary schools in Sharankhola upazila.

“No similar incident has been reported at any other school. An investigation is underway to determine why a few students at one school became temporarily ill. All of them are now in stable condition,” he said.

Dr Priyo Gopal Biswas, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer, said 11 children were admitted to the health complex after complaining of stomach pain and feeling unwell shortly after eating the eggs.”They are under observation and are currently in stable condition,” he said.

Sharankhola Upazila Primary Education Officer Munir Ahmed said no visible problem was found with the eggs.”Samples have been collected for laboratory testing to identify the actual cause of the illness,” he said.

Acting Upazila Nirbahi Officer Orthita Haldar said the children had recovered and were returning home. She said the Upazila Primary Education Office had been instructed to investigate the incident and submit a report.