Snake in mid-day meal? Over 150 students hospitalised in Bihar's Saharsa post lunch

Over 150 children were hospitalised in Bihar's Saharsa district after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school. According to a senior official, the incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.

Panicked family members of the affected children alleged that a dead snake was found in the container used to store cooked pulses at the school.

Here's what happened:

“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha,” according to a PTI report, citing Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar.

The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to the Mahishi Public Health Centre.

“The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Kumar said.

He assured that the health condition of the students is improving, though they will remain under medical observation. Some students are being treated for mild fever, but officials have urged parents not to panic.

“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time,” Kumar said. “There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly.”

Was there a snake in the mid-day meal?

Family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses were stored at the school, according to the PTI report.

By the time the snake was spotted, out of the 545 students present, approximately 200 had already consumed the meal. Shortly after eating, the children began complaining of stomach aches and vomiting, they said.

Food samples are being tested

Addressing the severe allegations regarding the snake, the District Magistrate noted that food samples had been collected from the school premises. He said authorities are awaiting the laboratory results before making any official comment on the exact cause of the contamination.

"We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive," he said.