Doctor suspects imported pudding after kids fall ill<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Twenty-six children were rushed to Cipto
\nMangunkusumo General Hospital for treatment of suspected food
\npoisoning after they ate imported chocolate pudding on Wednesday,
\na doctor at the hospital said.<\/p>\n
Five of the 26 children, who are students of a state-run
\nelementary school in Central Jakarta, had to stay for further
\ntreatment at the hospital. They suffered from dehydration
\nfollowing constant vomiting, Abdul Latief, a physician at the
\nemergency unit, said.<\/p>\n
Abdul, who is also a member of the hospital's toxicology team,
\nsaid none of the children were in serious condition. \"All of them
\ncan go home tomorrow,\" he said, adding that he strongly suspected
\nthe chocolate pudding was the cause of the children's symptoms.<\/p>\n
The pudding, packaged in small brown plastic containers with
\nthe brand Elle Vire and a picture of the Eiffel tower on the
\nlabel, had \"Made in France\" written below.<\/p>\n
There was no expiry date or government registration number on
\nthe pudding package. It is compulsory for the date and number to
\nbe printed on every imported food item that enters the country.<\/p>\n
The children bought the chocolate pudding from a man who sold
\nit near the school yard. Some children told The Jakarta Post that
\nthey bought the pudding for Rp 300 (US$0.07) per container.<\/p>\n
The school headmistress, Tri Andaria, said some children
\nvomited about 30 minutes after eating the pudding, and others
\nfelt nauseous and dizzy.<\/p>\n
A student said the seller, a young man with fair skin and
\nwearing a hat, was not seen before Wednesday at the school. The
\nman left the area when teachers from the school wanted to ask him
\nabout the pudding.<\/p>\n
Concerned about the children's worsening condition, Tri
\ninstructed them to stop eating the pudding and collect the
\ncontainers, while some teachers rushed the sick children to the
\nhospital.<\/p>\n
An official from the Ministry of Health, Thomphson Sianipar,
\ncame to the hospital after hearing about the suspected poisoning,
\nand said the puddings were not registered with the ministry or on
\nits imported food list.<\/p>\n
The government issued a decree in June that stipulated
\nimported food from France, the Netherlands and Germany was to
\nhave a dioxin-free certificate with it before entering the
\ncountry following the decision to ban imported food from Belgium.<\/p>\n
Thomphson was not sure if the incident was related to dioxin
\npoisoning.<\/p>\n
\"We need to investigate further to determine that,\" he
\nsaid. (04)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/doctor-suspects-imported-pudding-after-kids-fall-ill-1447893297",
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