Around 65 hospitalised in Assam's Dima Hasao after suspected food poisoning outbreak

Around 65 residents of Lasang village near Mahur in Assam's Dima Hasao district have been hospitalised following a suspected food poisoning outbreak after a social gathering held in the village on Saturday, August 8.
 

According to villagers, pork was served at the gathering and consumed by several people. Within 24 hours, a number of residents developed symptoms including diarrhoea, nausea, fever and headache.
 

The affected people were admitted to Mahur Primary Health Centre, nearby health centres and Haflong Civil Hospital for treatment.
 

On Tuesday, around 21 residents of Lasang suffering from similar symptoms were brought to Haflong Civil Hospital after their conditions failed to improve. Two elderly patients are currently being kept under observation in the ICU and their condition is stable, doctors said.
 

District Surveillance Officer and SDMO Dr L Vaipe said the symptoms reported among the patients were consistent with food poisoning, but added that further investigation was required to establish the exact cause.
 

Some villagers have raised concerns that contaminated drinking water could also have triggered the outbreak. They suspect that heavy rainfall on the day of the gathering may have contaminated local water sources.
 

However, since not everyone who consumed the same food fell ill, questions remain over whether the outbreak could have originated from another source.
 

The incident has also raised concerns among residents over the safety of livestock used for consumption in the area. Villagers have urged the authorities to ensure proper testing and certification of livestock through competent agencies to prevent similar incidents.
 

The health department has not yet released any laboratory test results. Officials said an investigation is expected to be carried out by the local administration and health department teams, while the situation will be closely monitored.