55 Bangladesh kids fall ill after eating biscuits

DHAKA - At least 55 children fell ill after eating biscuits distributed by the UN World Food Programme in Bangladesh’s Gaibandha district, officials said.

The biscuits were supplied under the School Feeding Programme of the UN body to the Kalitola primary school in Govindaganj sub-district, 268 km northwest of Dhaka, sub-district chief executive officer Abdul Wahed told Xinhua.

He said the children ate the high-protein biscuits on an empty stomach, after which they showed symptoms of acidity. Most of the children suffered from chest and stomach ache and they were admitted to a health centre.

Wahed said the supply of the biscuits has been stopped in other schools and biscuit samples have been sent to Dhaka for examination.

Many of the students said they found the packets unsealed, the officer said.

Meanwhile, Shahidul Islam, headmaster of the school, said the biscuits had either a black or a blue monogram on the packet. Students who ate biscuits from the black monogrammed packets fell ill.