28 students fall ill after drinking school milk in Panchagarh

Twenty-eight students of a government primary school in Panchagarh fell ill after drinking milk distributed under a school feeding programme on Monday.

The incident took place at Kazipara Government Primary School in Tepriganj union of Debiganj upazila.

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According to teachers and guardians, around 200 packets of UHT milk branded “RD”, produced by Rangpur Dairy and Food Products Ltd, were distributed among students around noon.

Soon after consuming the milk, Monir Hossain, a student of class 4, complained of stomach pain and dizziness. Several other students later developed similar symptoms, including headaches, dizziness and abdominal pain. Some reportedly suffered convulsions.

The affected students were taken to Debiganj Upazila Health Complex for treatment.

The hospital's resident medical officer Dr Bimal Devnath told The Daily Star that 28 students had been admitted and received treatment. By around 10:00pm, 25 of them had recovered and been discharged.

The remaining three students were also improving and would be released after further observation, he said.

Milk samples are being collected and will be sent to a laboratory in Dhaka for testing, the official added.

Debiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Indrajit Saha said a four-member committee had been formed to investigate the incident, headed by Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Abu Yusuf Md Sahedur Rahman.

The committee also includes the upazila livestock officer, public health officer and the resident medical officer. Attempts to contact Zakaria Aman, project coordinator of Rangpur Dairy and Food Products Ltd, for comment were unsuccessful.