Another incident of suspected food poisoning in Kerala with 18 tourists affected in Wayanad

PTI, May 3, 2022, 4:23 PM IST

Representative Image (Source: Dreamstime)

Wayanad: Another incident of suspected food poisoning was reported in Kerala, one of several in the past few days in the state, with 18 members of a tourist group suffering health problems after eating food from three separate restaurants here.

An officer from Kambalakkad police station, where one of the eateries in question is located, said the tourist group comprising 23 people had come from Thiruvananthapuram to Wayanad and taken food from three different places in the district on Monday.

Therefore, it cannot be said right now as to what food from which restaurant was the cause of the suspected food poisoning, he said.

It was after having dinner from an eatery at Kalpetta on Monday night that they started experiencing problems and discomfort, the officer said and added that teams of police and health officials have gone to inspect all three establishments.

Police also said the health of all 18 persons was stable.

The latest incident comes just a couple of days after a 16-year-old girl died and 18 others were hospitalized due to suspected food poisoning after they ate ‘shawarma’ from an eatery in Kasaragod.

Shawarma is thinly sliced pieces of marinated meat, like a lamb, chicken, or beef rolled into a flatbread.

Thereafter, incidents of suspected food poisoning were also reported from Malappuram and Kollam on Monday, though in both incidents none were seriously affected, according to police.

The suspected food poisoning incident in Kasaragod also prompted the health department to issue directions to ensure the Levantine dish was prepared in a manner that was safe for consumption.

State Health Minister Veena George on Monday had said directions have been issued to the Food Safety Commissioner to ensure neat and clean preparation of the dish for the customers.

She had also said the state government will provide free medical treatment for all those who were affected after eating the dish from the eatery in question, at government hospitals.

Devananda, the 16-year-old girl from Karivallor near Kasaragod, died at the Kanhangad district hospital on Sunday, while undergoing treatment for food poisoning.

Eighteen others, who were admitted to the district hospital after they fell sick, are undergoing treatment.