168 kindergarteners hit by possible Salmonella

A total of 168 children were sent to hospital with possible Salmonella food poisoning in Dongguan, Guangdong Province prompting health authorities to shut down a kindergarten on Monday for two days.

One hundred and three people, including 99 children, remained in hospitals in the city and neighboring Shenzhen, according to statements released by the Dongguan Health Bureau.

Nobody died or was critically ill as of Sunday midnight, the bureau said.

A parent told the Global Times Monday that her child had a high temperature, diarrhea and stomachache after eating snacks at school and authorities had yet to tell her what caused the poisoning.

“There are 25 students in my child’s class. Not one was OK,” said the woman, who requested anonymity.

The cause was under investigation, according to the city’s center for disease control and prevention. Early investigation results indicated a foodborne disease outbreak with Salmonella as the possible pathogenic factor.

Mengtian Kindergarten will be closed on Monday and Tuesday after authorities ordered the preschool to comprehensively disinfect the facility and address all safety problems, according to the statement.

Special inspections and rectifications of food safety will be conducted throughout the whole city, the health bureau said.

Reports of food poisoning incidents at schools have made headlines in recent years.

In March, the principal of Chengdu No.7 High School Development School in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province was fired three days after reports that the school canteen served students moldy food, causing them gastrointestinal disorders.