In a tragic turn of events, a 15-year-old student has died following a severe case of food poisoning in eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur. The student, Shivam Yadav, was among several children hospitalized two days ago after consuming a contaminated school meal. The incident took place at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Ashram School in Mehroona village.
On Monday, approximately 80 students from the ashram school began exhibiting symptoms of stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea after eating the school-provided meal. The affected students were immediately hospitalized, with 61 currently receiving treatment at Deoria Medical College.
District Magistrate Divya Mittal expressed profound sorrow over the incident, stating, “All the students admitted for treatment at Deoria Medical College are healthy and they will be discharged from today.” Despite these reassurances, the loss of young Shivam Yadav has cast a shadow over the recovery process.
Ashram schools, managed by the Social Welfare Department of the state, offer residential-based free education to meritorious students from financially weaker sections. Uttar Pradesh currently operates 94 such schools, aiming to uplift underprivileged children through education.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Rajesh Jha provided details about Shivam’s condition, stating, “A student receiving treatment at Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur has passed away this Wednesday morning. The student, Shivam Yadav, son of Sadanand Yadav, aged 15, was a resident of Bhaisiya Ramnagar, Farenda Tehsil, Maharajganj district.”
Dr. Jha elaborated on the sequence of events leading to Shivam’s death: “Following the food poisoning incident on August 5, his condition deteriorated, and he was admitted to Maharshi Deoraha Baba Medical College, Deoria. Initially, his health was stable, but on the afternoon of August 6, his condition worsened with a sudden drop in blood pressure, leading to his admission to the ICU.”
Despite the medical team’s efforts, Shivam’s condition showed no significant improvement. “Consequently, for better treatment, the medical college administration transferred him to BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, on Tuesday evening around 4 pm using an advanced life-saving ambulance,” Dr. Jha said. At BRD Medical College, Shivam was placed on a ventilator.
In a bid to ensure coordinated care, the district administration sent Additional CMO Dr. Surendra Chaudhary to BRD Medical College. Unfortunately, Shivam Yadav succumbed to his condition on the morning of Wednesday, August 7.
