Hundreds of students rushed to hospital with food poisoning
Hundreds of students rushed to hospital with food poisoning
Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung
About 300 elementary school students in Bandung were taken to
Rajawali hospital on Wednesday for suspected food poisoning after
they were given free milk in a promotion.
On Wednesday morning, hundreds of students from seven
different schools located on Jl. Dadali complained of headaches
and vomiting after they drank free Realgood cream milk and
cereals provided by six promotional representatives of PT Supra
Sumber Cipta, the distributor of Realgood producer PT Greenfield.
Tarazullah, 10, a student at Garuda III elementary school,
said half an hour after drinking a glass of milk, his head began
to hurt and soon after he vomited.
Others, including Annisa, 11, a student at Garuda IV
elementary school, said she suffered from similar symptoms.
Students had to compete to use the school toilets and the crying
children left parents and teachers in confusion, Annisa's mother,
Sumarni, said.
Parents and teachers tried to calm the distraught students and
took them to the nearby Rajawali hospital.
Four cars belonging to PT Supra Sumber Cipta were used to help
take the students to the hospital and teaching at some of the
schools stopped for the day.
Djumari, a teacher at Garuda IV elementary school said other
companies had distributed free milk to students at the school
before but the incident on Wednesday was the first.
Djumari, who led the teachers and parents escorting the
students to hospital, said that some 300 students from different
schools had been admitted to the hospital by 12 p.m. They were
examined by hospital doctors and were allowed to return home in
the afternoon.
Garuda III elementary school principle Hetiyantini said only
11 students from her school were brought to the hospital for
medical treatment.
She estimated the total number of students admitted to the
hospital was much less than Djumari's figure.
Doctor Robert Adiwinata said food poisoning was the likely
cause of the sickness but said further laboratory examinations
were necessary to specify the problem. Following the incident,
police questioned the six representatives of PT Supra Sumber
Cipta.
Meanwhile, distribution promotions manager Ichsanuddin
rejected the charge food poisoning was the cause of sickness.
"The (affected) students apparently did not have breakfast, so
they (would more) easily get headaches and they vomited after
drinking the milk," he said.
"Moreover, they were exhausted after they had their morning
physical exercise."
Ichsanuddin said his company would pay all the medical bills
for the children.