Seven people suffer from diarrhea after eating food at a community event

Seven people suffering from diarrhea were admitted to Government Taluk Hospital in Gudiyatham town on Saturday.

Health officials said the seven persons were from Nathammedu village, which comes under Mel Alathur village panchayat in the district. “The victims reported diarrhea due to suspected food poisoning after consuming biriyani during an event in a neighboring village. Their condition is stable,” Marx Castro, district epidemiologist, told The Hindu.

Initial investigation revealed that along with other residents, K. Suresh Babu (60) and his family members had visited Gudanagaram village to attend a community festival on September 18 where they were served biriyani for lunch.

Eight people reported vomiting and diarrhea on their return. They were initially admitted to the local government health center and discharged as outpatients.

Health officials said that in addition to the boy, seven people had fallen ill again. They have been identified as K. Priyanka, 24, G. Selvam, 56, R. Mahalakshmi, 20, H. Lalitha, 45, F. Deepa, 30, V. Suriya, 29, and Suresh Babu.

They were immediately taken to the Taluk Government Hospital in Gudiyatham where they were admitted as in-patients. Doctors said they were monitoring the condition of the patients.

As part of the preventive measures directed by PS Collector Leela Alex and District Health Officer M. Vijay Chandran, health teams conducted door-to-door checks in the village, which had 94 houses with 225 persons. Local panchayats have disconnected piped water supply to families in the village. Tractors were tied up to provide residents with chlorinated water.

Published – 19 Sep 2026 23:46 IST