A 12-year-old boy died on Saturday morning, while four other members of his family remain hospitalised after complaining of severe nausea and breathing distress, police said.
The family fell ill after consuming curries and watermelon for dinner the previous evening in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.
The Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO), Sachidananda Mishra, stated that the curries eaten by the family during dinner might have turned stale.
According to Mishra, all five people were rushed to the community health centre in Pattamundai on Saturday morning, suffering from vomiting, diarrhea, and breathing issues, which the patients reported began after their dinner the night before.
When their health began to deteriorate, the medical team transferred them to the district headquarters hospital in Kendrapara for advanced care.
Among the patients, 12-year-old Swadhin Senapati’s health took a critical turn, prompting an emergency transfer to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics in Cuttack, where he succumbed during treatment, Mishra stated.
Meanwhile, the remaining four family members continue to receive medical care at the district headquarters hospital, where officials report their conditions are currently stable.
“It appears to be a case of food poisoning. Rectal swabs of all the patients have been collected and will be sent to a laboratory in Cuttack to ascertain the exact cause of the illness. It is not confirmed whether watermelon consumption led to the family members falling sick,” the CDMO said.
Police and health authorities have launched an inquiry into the incident.
