Number of affected in Majuli food poisoning goes up to 400

The number of persons affected by food poisoning in Majuli island of Assam’s Jorhat district has gone up to 400. Complaining of acute stomach pain, vomiting and loose motion, people from three villages have rushed for medical treatment at Goromur Pitambor Devogoswami 100-bed sub-divisional hospital, sub-divisional medical officer Dr Manik Mili said.

As the condition of the 400 patients admitted at the Goromur Hospital did not improve, Dr Mili said all of them were shifted to Jorhat Medical College Hospital in the district headquarters on Thursday.

There are only four government doctors in the island and unable to handle the flow of patients.

All the 22 children, shifted to JMCH yesterday, were stated to be stable by hospital superintendent Dr Bobijit Goswami.

All the affected people from three villages – Kakhorkotagoan, Pohumoragoan and Silakolagoan – had eaten prasad of soaked chickpeas, green moong dal and fruits at a religious function at the residence of a person in Kakohorkotagoan under Goromur Police Station on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the district administration has instituted an enquiry and instructed the sub-divisional officer to probe the cause of the mass food poisoning in the world's largest river island, Jorhat district Deputy Commissioner Solanki Vishal Basant said. Assam CM Tarun Gogoi has ordered a probe into the food poisoning incident.