Cases of suspected food poisoning affecting schoolchildren continue to flare up. Today, twenty-nine learners from Ihobe Primary School in Bloemfontein in the Free State were admitted to the hospital after they allegedly consumed expired chocolates. This comes a day after more than a hundred learners fell sick after eating samp at school.

THEY BOUGHT THE CHOCOLATES FROM VENDORS

Free State Education Department spokesperson, Howard Ndaba, said the learners allegedly bought the chocolates from vendors close to the school during their lunch break. "They started vomiting and complaining about abdominal pain, then some of the learners fainted and an ambulance and police were called in to assist," he said.

ALL DISCHARGED

Meanwhile, Gauteng MEC for Education Matome Chiloane said the 110 learners from Tamaho Primary School in Katlehong who were treated for a foodborne illness have been discharged. It was reported that the said learners began experiencing symptoms of stomach cramps and vomiting after consuming samp at school during break time. "All 110 learners who were hospitalised following the incident were subsequently discharged after receiving medical treatment," said Matome. Chiloane expressed grave concern over the recurrence of such incidents at Gauteng schools. "It is alarming to witness such cases of foodborne illness affecting our learners. The safety and well-being of our learners is our highest priority, and we are committed to working closely with health authorities to understand and address the root causes of these incidents. We wish all recovering learners a speedy return to good health," said Chiloane.