Forty-five pupils from Luphondweni High School were admitted to Grey hospital in King Williams Town this morning as the health and education departments battle diarrhoea outbreak at schools in the King Williams Town area.
Health spokesman Siyanda Manana said: "They are also suffering from food poisoning."
Pupils are from Qhugqwala Primary, Thembalethu Secondary, B Kat Primary, Jali Senior Secondary and Zinyoka Primary schools.
Ward 35 councillor Siya Skolo, who has a son at Thembalethu SS, left a council meeting in the East London City Hall to rush to Grey hospital.
Skolo received an urgent phone call from his wife, who said that pupils, including their son, were rushed to hospital after eating a government-funded lunch.
“I’m trying to establish what really happened ... apart from my wife’s assumption about the food we haven’t established the root cause,” he said, while on his way to the hospital.
Eastern Cape provincial spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the health department had dispersed outbreak response teams headed by the CEOs of Grey and Bhisho hospitals to manage the mass intakes.
With the number of casualties swelling by the hour, Kupelo said, “it is becoming a crisis – we are also likely to refer other children to Cecilia Makiwane hospital due to the high volume.”
Health services officials from Buffalo City Metro and provincial health have been activated to investigate the source of the outbreak.
“It is believed to be food poisoning as the children are presenting gastric problems,” Kupelo said.
In an interview with the Dispatch yesterday, provincial health spokesman Siyanda Manana said the pupils had fallen sick after eating the state-funded lunch at school.
The new cases come just days after hundreds of pupils at Schornville Primary fell ill on Monday.
The school management team of Schornville has since appealed to the health department to speed up the release of the test results of food and water at the school.
Health inspectors took samples of water and food on Monday after hundreds of pupils started vomiting and complaining of severe stomach cramps shortly after eating their government-funded lunch.
The pupils were rushed to two provincial hospitals after eating umphokoqo with expired sour milk.
Authorities suspected food poisoning but also claimed that some pupils who did not eat the food also fell ill, fuelling speculation the cause may be in the water.
Local businesses and concerned citizens have been donating bottled water to the pupils.
A meeting with parents has been called for Friday in light of the health scare at the school.
45 more pupils admitted to hospital as province battles diarrhoea outbreak
Forty-five pupils from Luphondweni High School were admitted to Grey hospital in King Williams Town this morning as the health and education departments battle diarrhoea outbreak at schools in the King Williams Town area.
Health spokesman Siyanda Manana said: "They are also suffering from food poisoning."
Pupils are from Qhugqwala Primary, Thembalethu Secondary, B Kat Primary, Jali Senior Secondary and Zinyoka Primary schools.
Ward 35 councillor Siya Skolo, who has a son at Thembalethu SS, left a council meeting in the East London City Hall to rush to Grey hospital.
Skolo received an urgent phone call from his wife, who said that pupils, including their son, were rushed to hospital after eating a government-funded lunch.
“I’m trying to establish what really happened ... apart from my wife’s assumption about the food we haven’t established the root cause,” he said, while on his way to the hospital.
Eastern Cape provincial spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the health department had dispersed outbreak response teams headed by the CEOs of Grey and Bhisho hospitals to manage the mass intakes.
With the number of casualties swelling by the hour, Kupelo said, “it is becoming a crisis – we are also likely to refer other children to Cecilia Makiwane hospital due to the high volume.”
Health services officials from Buffalo City Metro and provincial health have been activated to investigate the source of the outbreak.
“It is believed to be food poisoning as the children are presenting gastric problems,” Kupelo said.
In an interview with the Dispatch yesterday, provincial health spokesman Siyanda Manana said the pupils had fallen sick after eating the state-funded lunch at school.
The new cases come just days after hundreds of pupils at Schornville Primary fell ill on Monday.
The school management team of Schornville has since appealed to the health department to speed up the release of the test results of food and water at the school.
Health inspectors took samples of water and food on Monday after hundreds of pupils started vomiting and complaining of severe stomach cramps shortly after eating their government-funded lunch.
The pupils were rushed to two provincial hospitals after eating umphokoqo with expired sour milk.
Authorities suspected food poisoning but also claimed that some pupils who did not eat the food also fell ill, fuelling speculation the cause may be in the water.
Local businesses and concerned citizens have been donating bottled water to the pupils.
A meeting with parents has been called for Friday in light of the health scare at the school.
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