Doctor suspects imported pudding after kids fall ill
Doctor suspects imported pudding after kids fall ill
JAKARTA (JP): Twenty-six children were rushed to Cipto
Mangunkusumo General Hospital for treatment of suspected food
poisoning after they ate imported chocolate pudding on Wednesday,
a doctor at the hospital said.
Five of the 26 children, who are students of a state-run
elementary school in Central Jakarta, had to stay for further
treatment at the hospital. They suffered from dehydration
following constant vomiting, Abdul Latief, a physician at the
emergency unit, said.
Abdul, who is also a member of the hospital's toxicology team,
said none of the children were in serious condition. "All of them
can go home tomorrow," he said, adding that he strongly suspected
the chocolate pudding was the cause of the children's symptoms.
The pudding, packaged in small brown plastic containers with
the brand Elle Vire and a picture of the Eiffel tower on the
label, had "Made in France" written below.
There was no expiry date or government registration number on
the pudding package. It is compulsory for the date and number to
be printed on every imported food item that enters the country.
The children bought the chocolate pudding from a man who sold
it near the school yard. Some children told The Jakarta Post that
they bought the pudding for Rp 300 (US$0.07) per container.
The school headmistress, Tri Andaria, said some children
vomited about 30 minutes after eating the pudding, and others
felt nauseous and dizzy.
A student said the seller, a young man with fair skin and
wearing a hat, was not seen before Wednesday at the school. The
man left the area when teachers from the school wanted to ask him
about the pudding.
Concerned about the children's worsening condition, Tri
instructed them to stop eating the pudding and collect the
containers, while some teachers rushed the sick children to the
hospital.
An official from the Ministry of Health, Thomphson Sianipar,
came to the hospital after hearing about the suspected poisoning,
and said the puddings were not registered with the ministry or on
its imported food list.
The government issued a decree in June that stipulated
imported food from France, the Netherlands and Germany was to
have a dioxin-free certificate with it before entering the
country following the decision to ban imported food from Belgium.
Thomphson was not sure if the incident was related to dioxin
poisoning.
"We need to investigate further to determine that," he
said. (04)