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Two hundred children from the Mlindazwe junior secondary school in Mbizana, in the Eastern Cape, are believed to have food poisoning, with many spending the night in hospital.
Bizana is about 30km from Nkantolo, where thousands of people are celebrating the life of ANC stalwart Oliver Tambo, who would have turned 100 today.
Health Department spokesperson, Sizwe Kupelo, confirmed that 162 pupils had been kept overnight at the St Patrick’s Hospital in Bizana for observation.
This is the same hospital where victims of today’s bus accident are being treated.
READ: Bus accident dampens festivities at OR Tambo celebrations
Kupelo said the Grade 9 pupils had attended a farewell party on Wednesday. He said they had started complaining of stomach cramps, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea, and were rushed to the hospital yesterday.
Kupelo said the youngsters were kept overnight and would see doctors at the hospital today before being discharged.
He said three pupils, two female and one male, had been admitted to one of the hospital wards in a critical condition.
Kupelo said while the department of health had visited the school yesterday but they had been unable to find samples of the food that had been eaten to test.
Kupelo said in a separate incident in Manzana village outside Qumbu, 61km north of Mthatha, 60 villagers presented with diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach cramps after feeding from a cow that was slaughtered after giving birth to a stillborn calf. He said 17 of them were rushed to Dr Malizo Mpehle hospital. – News24
