As many as 32 students fell sick on Wednesday in Government run Arteswar Upper Primary school after consuming midday meal (MDM), in which a caterpillar was found. According to in-charge headmaster of the school Jayanti Panda, the students had been served egg curry and rice. But when the students were consuming meal, they found a caterpillar in the egg curry. Soon, some of the students started vomiting and developed skin irritation and headache. As such, all 37 students, who consumed the MDM, were rushed to the district headquarters hospital.
All the students were provided primary medical treatment at the outdoor, whereas three were kept under the close observation at the causality ward. However, their condition was stable, stated CDMO Niranjan Swain. When contacted, district Collector Debendra Prasad Das informed that he had directed the District Education Officer (DEO) to start a probe on the matter.
The Collector, who visited the hospital, stated that three students were undergoing treatment whereas others had been discharged after getting primary treatment.