68 students hospitalised after eating contaminated meat in Embu

Sixty-eight students from St. Thomas Aquinas Igumori Secondary School in Mbeere South, Embu County, are receiving treatment in various hospitals after consuming suspected contaminated cow head meat.

The affected students, all in Form Four, developed severe stomach pains and diarrhoea, prompting an urgent medical response.

The alarming incident unfolded after the students had their meals, with some reportedly complaining of abdominal pain.

Concerned teachers and staff rushed them to level 3 hospital where they are undergoing treatment, with five being referred to Embu level 5 hospital for further treatment.

Speaking to journalists, school principal Paul Mwaniki confirmed that only Form Four students were affected, while others who ate regular meat showed no symptoms of food poisoning.

"Today in the morning an incident was reported about students complaining of stomachache and some diarrhoeic. We slaughtered a bull on Wednesday morning, we ate it, the whole school together with the staff and then the head was boiled at night and we took it with the candidates yesterday," he explained.

"As of yesterday, there were no complaints from those who took the red meat and the intestines on Wednesday but around 5am, I was told that some 11 students were complaining of stomach ache. I rushed them to the nearest hospital but later the number rose to more than 40 and it was overwhelming."

He speculated that the contamination might have occurred during the preparation of the cow head meat.

Despite the distressing situation, Mwaniki assured parents and the school community that there was no cause for panic, as medics had swiftly intervened.

"The total was 68 students. They were treated and three of them were referred to Embu General Hospital for further treatment they are responding well to treatment and are stable," he said.

"All the students at the private hospital have been discharged and are on the way to school but 10 students have been retained at Ketioe Health Centre for further observations."

According to the principal, preliminary reports indicated contamination, but samples had been taken for further tests to confirm the source of contamination.

Embu County Executive Committee (CEC) member in charge of Health Jamal Runyenje echoed Mwaniki’s sentiments, stating that all the hospitalized students were in stable condition.

He reassured parents that no fatalities had been reported and that medical teams were closely monitoring the situation.

 “We are working closely with the school and health experts to ensure such an incident does not happen again,” he added.

Meanwhile, health officers from the county government have launched investigations into the incident.

They are examining the school’s food storage, preparation methods, and the specific supplier of the meat to determine whether negligence played a role in the contamination.

As the affected students continue to recover, education officials and health experts are urging all learning institutions to enforce strict food safety measures.