Twenty-two students at the Government Polytechnic College for Girls hostel in Pebbair, Wanaparthy district, fell ill after eating chicken curry served on Wednesday night, with 10 requiring treatment with intravenous fluids for dehydration, vomiting and body pains.
The students began reporting symptoms several hours after the meal, including vomiting, severe abdominal pain, general body pains and symptoms of diarrhoea. Hostel staff initially gave the girls tablets, while most of the affected students were taken to a hospital near the hostel.
As the condition of 10 students became more concerning, staff moved them to the government primary health centre in Pebbair on Thursday morning. Parents also reached the hospital after students contacted them to report their condition.
Wanaparthy District Medical and Health Officer B Bhaskar Naik said officials were treating the incident as a common food-borne illness along with probable water contamination. However, he said the exact source of the illness had not yet been established and would require further investigation.
“We treated 10 students with IV fluids for dehydration, body pains and vomiting,” Naik said. He added that all 10 students treated at the hospital had been discharged.
The incident has raised questions about the quality of food supplied at the hostel and the safety of the water being used by students. According to officials, hostel staff provide chicken curry to students every Wednesday, and the meal was served as usual on Wednesday night before the students developed symptoms.
The hostel has a reverse-osmosis water plant on its premises, but the plant had reportedly remained shut for three days before the incident. During that period, staff arranged water from outside, according to the district medical and health officer.
The possible involvement of both the meal and the replacement water supply means the precise cause cannot yet be attributed to the chicken curry alone. Health officials will have to establish whether the illness resulted from contaminated food, unsafe water, or both.
The incident also places attention on the routine systems supporting residential government institutions. Food preparation, drinking-water access and the maintenance of treatment equipment are daily operational responsibilities in a hostel where students depend on the institution for basic services.
The affected students remained under treatment when the report was filed, while the 10 students taken to the government health facility had been discharged. Further investigation is expected to determine the source of the illness and assess the safety of the food and water supplied at the hostel.
