Contradictory Statements Regarding 'Gastrointestinal Poisoning' of 300 People in Kermanshah and Gilan-e Gharb

While at least three hundred people in two counties in western Iran have shown symptoms similar to gastrointestinal poisoning, officials have made contradictory statements, declaring the reasons are 'under investigation.' According to reports, in the village of 'Kool' in the Divandareh County of Kurdistan Province, 180 people and in the Gilan-e Gharb County of Kermanshah Province, 100 villagers exhibited similar symptoms. A report from the Etemad newspaper stated that after the widespread poisoning of 180 residents of Kool village following a wedding ceremony, there was significant disagreement among local officials and the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences regarding the cause of the incident. While the Divandareh district governor announced that tests on the village's water had been conducted and confirmed its safety, the health deputy of the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences suggested that contamination of drinking water might be one of the reasons for the poisonings. This contradiction in officials' statements has caused further confusion among the people. According to the report, Taher Ghazai, the district governor of the 'Saral' section of Divandareh, stated: 'The health network tested the village's water, and there was no issue regarding the water.' In response to these remarks, Farzam Bidarpour, the health deputy of the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, raised the possibility of water contamination as one of the reasons for the poisonings, saying: 'Contamination of the village's drinking water due to rainfall in the days prior or contamination of food consumed at the wedding ceremony the Friday before the outbreak is a possible reason.' According to local reports, these poisonings occurred after the wedding ceremony in two villages, with symptoms such as diarrhea, bloody vomiting, abdominal pain, and headaches observed in the poisoned individuals. Most of the poisoned individuals were aged between 5 and 18 years. One villager who witnessed the incident said, 'About 900 people attended the party, and afterward, some experienced symptoms of nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloody vomiting.' Amjad Marzbani, a member of the Kool village council, also added: 'We are not sure where the poisonings came from, but the chickens served at the wedding dinner were brought from Sanandaj, and it is possible that the problem is with these chickens. Some people said the chickens were frozen.' However, one villager whose brother suffered from poisoning said: 'My brother did not eat the wedding dinner, but after a few hours, he experienced bloody vomiting and was hospitalized for several days.' Simultaneously, Gilan-e Gharb County in Kermanshah Province also witnessed similar poisonings. In another report from the state-run Iran newspaper, in this area, 30 students from three villages 'Shirzadi,' 'Nian and Qilan,' and 'Darbid' who study in one school, visited a clinic due to gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting. Additionally, about 70 residents of these villages also suffered from poisoning. Alireza Nazari, the governor of Gilan-e Gharb, announced this news, stating: '30 students from these villages visited the clinic with poisoning symptoms, and afterward, the number of poisoned individuals reached about 100.' He added that 'some individuals treated themselves without visiting medical centers, but some also improved after visiting medical facilities.' This government official claimed that 'the health network of the county has sampled the water from the villages to investigate the cause of the incident, and the results showed that the water has no problems.' Although necessary actions to identify the cause of the poisonings are underway in both counties, no definitive report regarding the main cause of these poisonings has been announced yet. Health officials in both areas have emphasized that investigations are ongoing.