Nearly 80 students of the Veterinary Science Diploma College in Tiptur taluk of Tumkur district, fell sick after eating breakfast served at the college mess. On Sunday morning, students had gone to the mess for breakfast, where idli, sambar and chutney were served to them. At around 11am, several of the students began experiencing severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.

They were subsequently taken to the government hospital in Tiptur and diagnosed with food poisoning and were treated. Most were treated on an outpatient basis and sent home, while a few have been admitted and are undergoing treatment at present.

“Around 80 students in the hostel had eaten breakfast in the mess. They’d had some idli, sambar, and chutney. Within an hour they all presented with stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting,” said Dr Chandrika, Tumkur District Health Officer (DHO), speaking to TNM. “Most were given supportive treatment and were discharged yesterday itself, however around 20 to 23 students are still in the in-patient wards, getting treatment for the same.”

Food samples were sent to a lab for testing, it has yet to be determined what caused so many students to fall ill at once. The students have alleged that the warden of the hostel, Rudraswamy, would not visit the premises or ensure that hygiene was maintained in the mess. It was reported that the warden was out of town during the time of this incident as well.

In a similar incident last month in Telangana, around 40 girls from a hostel in Suryapet area came down with food poisoning after eating dinner at their hostel mess. Doctors began treating them immediately and all of them recovered subsequently. Following this, district health officials conducted medical camps to spread awareness about food poisoning.