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WFP Biscuits

Students released from hospital

Our Correspondent, Khagrachhari
Students of 115 government and non-government primary schools in Khagrachhari who were rushed to different health complexes after having biscuits distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP) Monday returned home yesterday.
Government physicians in both Mohalchhari and Laxmichhari upazilas in the district said the students are out of danger now.
Contacted over phone Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Mohalchhari Mohammad Safiul Arif yesterday said some 384 students from 55 primary schools of the upazila were released after first aid and 17 more hospitalised were expected to be discharged in the afternoon.
Laxmichhari UNO Mohammad Solim Ullah confirmed over phone that the 140 students including 40 in critical condition were released yesterday. WFP had withdrawn the biscuits and suspended the project in the district.
"Ihe WFP has deployed a team of experts to investigate the unexpected consequence of its school feeding programme. The organisation has already sent samples of the biscuits to Dhaka and Bangkok for lab tests to verify scientifically whether those caused the problem, said a WFP statement.
A preliminary test report of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) of •BCSIR on the biscuits, is expected to be available by 4 June, said the statement.
WFP Bangladesh Representative John Aylieff in a statement yesterday said, "Our prime concern is for the affected children and we take any possibility of a food-related illness ven' seriously. WFP gives highest priority to the quality and safety of the food we distribute."
In the statement John Aylieff said it was the first time that such incident took place since the school-feeding programme had been launched in 2002. The feeding programme covers one million children in 7,000 schools across the country.
The statement also added that WFP uses 13 different private enterprises to produce biscuits for the feeding programme and a single factory produced the biscuits distributed in Khagrachhari. However, there have been no problems reported in other parts of the country, read the statement
Khagrachhari Hill District Council (KHDC) Chairman Ruhity Karbary, also the controlling authority of government primary schools in the district, said they had ordered the schools to stop receiving biscuits.
He also mentioned that he had informed government authorities concerned to investigate the matter and take necessary action if there was any shortcoming.