In a shocking incident that unfolded at a government primary school in Ullagaddi Khanapur village, Belagavi, Karnataka, 23 students found themselves hospitalized after unwittingly consuming milk contaminated with a dead lizard. The incident, which occurred on Thursday morning, prompted an immediate response from the education department, according to a Hindustan Times report.
Urgent response amidst potential chaos
Hukkeri block education officer (BEO) Prabhavati Patil, who visited the school, stressed the need for urgency, stating, "As a precautionary measure, we rushed all the children who consumed the milk to the hospital at Sankeshwar. To prevent the students from panicking, we refrained from informing them about the reason for hospitalization."
The Ullagaddi Khanapur village school campus hosts Kannada, Marathi, and Urdu primary schools, collectively catering to approximately 400 students. Milk is a staple distributed around 11.30 in the morning. On the unfortunate day, a person serving milk discovered a dead lizard at the bottom of the vessel.
Teacher intervention and Hospitalization
As reported by HT, teachers acted swiftly, instructing students to cease drinking and collecting the milk glasses from those who had not consumed them. Out of more than 50 students, 23 had already consumed the contaminated milk and were subsequently hospitalized.
"The children were transported to the hospital in two ambulances and a few private vehicles. Anxious parents were also present at the hospital, where authorities reassured them that the children were in good and normal condition," reported the school headmaster Kamate.
The education department, responsible for supplying milk to government schools under the ‘Skeerabhagya’ scheme, has initiated an inquiry into the incident. BEO Prabhavati stated, "The agency that provided the milk has received a notice from the education department."
