After the death of a 13-year-old girl from food poisoning on Sunday in Bolorampur village of Pabna Sadar upazila, a specialised medical team deployed in the area yesterday diagnosed 157 others with similar symptoms.

The five-member team from Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) is treating the patients and it collected their blood and stool samples for diagnosis, said Dr Mehedi Iqbal, civil surgeon of Pabna.

As of noon yesterday, 53 of the patients have been sent to Pabna Medical College Hospital, he said, adding, “The medical team will continue their work until the disease is brought under control.”

The deceased and most of the patients fell sick with complaints of diarrhoea, fever and pain after they ingested khichuri at a death anniversary programme organised for one Iman Ali on Friday afternoon in the village. 

The deceased, Sumaia Akhter Sukhi, 13, daughter of Mohammad Selim Uddin of the village, was a seventh-grade student at Shahid Ahmed Rafik Girls’ High School.

She was buried on Sunday and her elder sister Bithi Akhter was sent to Dhaka yesterday after her condition turned critical, said Dr Mostafizur Rahman, health officer of the upazila.

Sabiran Bewa, who organised the anniversary programme and sister-in-law of Iman Ali, said just like the years before, she had the khichuri cooked with rice and meat purchased from the local market.

Six of her family members also fell sick after the programme, she added.

Dr Gopendra Nath Acharya, director of Rajshahi Divisional Health Office under Health Services Division, said he visited the affected area yesterday and their investigations on patients indicate that all the patients became infected with diarrhoea from the same source (the food given at the anniversary programme). 

During a visit to the area, this correspondent found many villagers are keeping out of the village in fear of getting infected.