Scores of primary school pupils rushed to clinic

More than 70 pupils from Kei Road Primary School were rushed to Philani Clinic yesterday following yet another case of  suspected food poisoning.

The Eastern Cape department of health said the pupils fell sick after eating a sheep liver with pap at school.

The food is a free provision offered to pupils as part of the  national school nutrition programme.

Eastern Cape health department said 41 of the pupils were transferred to Bhisho Hospital where they received treatment after complaining of stomach cramps.

This comes as the Eastern Cape departments of health and education struggle to gain control of the diarrhoea outbreak in King William’s Town schools. More than a thousand pupils from 11 schools in the region were treated at three provincial hospitals last week.

In light of the outbreak the Eastern Cape government has taken a decision to deploy nurses to all the affected schools in that region.

DispatchLIVE understands that an outbreak response team which is doing the rounds at the schools, is at Kei Road Primary School this morning.

The national department of health has now taken over the management of the crisis. Eastern Cape provincial spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the national departments of health and education are working close with provincial officials to gain control of the matter.

“The outbreak response teams will remain active. Health department will deploy health promoters and health nurses to the schools affected by the outbreak,” said Kupelo yesterday.