Seven persons suffer from diarrhea after consuming food at community event

Seven people, who suffered from diarrhea, were admitted to Government Taluk Hospital in Gudiyatham town on Saturday.Health officials said the seven persons were from Nathammedu hamlet that comes under Mel Alathur village panchayat in the district. “The victims reported diarrhea due to suspected food poisoning after they consumed biriyani during a function in the neighbouring village. Their conditions are stable,” Marx Castro, district epidemiologist officer, told The Hindu.Initial inquiry revealed that along with other residents, K. Suresh Babu, 60, and his family members visited Gudanagaram village to attend a community festival on September 18, where they were served biriyani for lunch.On their return, eight persons reported vomiting and diarrhea. Initially, they were admitted to a local government health centre and were discharged as out-patients.Health officials said that except a boy, seven people fell sick again. They were identified as K. Priyanka, 24, G. Selvam, 56, R. Mahalakshmi, 20, H. Lalitha, 45, F. Deepa, 30, V. Suriya, 29, and Suresh Babu.Immediately, they were rushed to Government Taluk Hospital in Gudiyatham town where they were admitted as in-patients. Doctors said that the conditions of the patients were being monitored.As part of precautionary measures directed by Collector P.S. Leela Alex and District Health Officer M. Vijay Chandran, health teams conducted door-to-door checkups in the village that had 94 houses with 225 persons. Local panchayats disconnected water supply through pipelines to families in the village. Tractors were roped in to provide chlorinated water to residents. Published - September 19, 2026 11:46 pm IST