Around 40 students of a private school in Andhra Pradesh's Parvathipuram village in Vizianagaram district had to be given medical treatment, after their eyes began to swell on Monday morning.
The 40 students, along with 200 others, began complaining of irritation and pain in their eyes, after they were reportedly exposed to lights and lasers during a show, as part of the school's New Year's Eve celebrations.
The children's eyes began watering, and had turned red when they got up the next morning.
As the children began complaining, worried parents staged a protest and demanded answers from the school.
Following this, doctors rushed to the school and administered first-aid, before assuring those who had gathered, that the kids would not lose eyesight.
“We prescribed eye drops and ointment for the affected children,” a doctor told TOI.
Meanwhile, Vizianagaram district Collector Vivek Yadav was informed of the incident, and directed the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) of Parvathipuram, P Sudarsan Dora, to visit the school along with Mandal Educational Officer P Krishna Murthy.
Circle Inspector G Rambabu also visited the school along with the officials, and spoke to the children, to collect more details regarding the case. Further details are awaited.
While this is the first time that such a case is being reported from the state, many students have been hospitalised in the past after consuming midday meals.
In October this year, as many as 72 students from the BC Welfare Girls’ Hostel, Jaggampeta in East Godavari were hospitalised after eating their midday meal.
The students suffered dehydration, diarrhoea and vomiting after eating Khichdi and egg provided in the hostel.
Soon, the hostel authorities informed police and five ambulances ferried the children to the local hospital, where they recovered.
Earlier this year in January, 12 students had fallen ill after suspected food poisoning in a minority school near Machilipatnam in Krishna district. The children recovered after treatment.