Bacterial contamination projected as cause behind Lingdok food poisoning incident

5-MEMBER HEALTH DEPARTMENT ENQUIRY COMMITTEE SUBMITS REPORT
GANGTOK, 10 Jan: Preliminary enquiries and examination of samples collected to get to the bottom of the Lingdok food poisoning incident [which claimed one life and landed 82 in hospital], suggests that bacterial contamination of the food items was the main culprit.
This is the finding of the committee instituted to investigate the cause of the food poisoning incident. However, as Secretary, Health Department, Dr. K Bhandari, underlines, the final report and confirmation is yet to arrive and will be made known once the forensic results of the viscera of the deceased come in. The bacterial infection theory, the Secretary reiterates, is not confirmed yet and even the strain of bacteria believed to have contaminated the food not yet identified.
The report of the 5-member committee constituted by the Health Department to look into all aspects of the food poisoning incident, including the epidemiological aspect, was submitted today to the Secretary and has been forwarded to the government.
The assessment of the committee is that the “most likely” cause, after taking into consideration all factors and circumstances, is bacterial contamination of the food items. This seems the most possible and plausible cause as the enquiring team which went about examining food items, utensils used for cooking, the surroundings, including the cooking conditions, found that there were lots of pigeon and chicken droppings in close vicinity of the house in which the victims consumed their food.
It was further found that the house in which others, including the purohits had eaten was clean and without such contamination, and as such none of the purohits and others who had consumed food here had fallen sick.
The Committee had Dr. V Singhi [Director II] as the chairman, while the other four members are Dr. IL Sharma [senior Additional Director], Dr. Yeli Doma [Joint Director], BB Rai [Food Inspector] and Pema Uden [Chief Consultant Micro-Biologist].
Given this scenario and after the examinations it was very likely that the food had become contaminated with bacteria. On the other hand, and to lend support to this conclusion of bacterial contamination, the STNM Hospital which had conducted tests on the food samples and water source came up with negative results on all the tests conducted.
The viscera of the deceased, Shanti Rai, has been sent for forensic examination to Guwahati and now only the result will prove conclusive on the cause of the incident.
The Medical Superintendent, STNM Hospital, Dr. Uma Pradhan also informed that the last of the victims of the food poisoning incident was discharged today from the hospital. A total of 82 persons had been admitted to the hospital after having consumed food at a ceremony (kriya) being observed at Lingdok on 01 January. The only person to succumb to the food poisoning was Shanti Rai, 43, of Lingdok a day after being admitted at the STNM hospital.