A 10-year-old girl died and her four-year-old sibling and mother are in a critical condition in Edenvale Hospital, Gauteng, after another case of suspected food poisoning over the weekend, while in KZN last week, 11 pupils were taken to a clinic after eating lollipops that apparently made them sick.
In the Gauteng case, investigators and health experts are probing allegations concerning the food eaten by the family before they fell ill, reports TimesLIVE.
Police Commissioner Lt-General Tommy Mthombeni urged the public not to speculate about the cause and to allow investigators to do their work.
In a community alert circulated on social media, the father of the dead child was quoted as saying the victims started complaining about pain an hour after eating snacks bought from a local vendor.
“My daughter also complained about chest pains, so we took her to the clinic …she was battling to breathe.”
The girl died minutes after being admitted to the emergency unit.
Her mother and and her four-year-old brother were admitted to Edenvale Hospital, where they are still being monitored.
In Pietermaritzburg last week, 11 pupils reported rashes, vomiting, and severe stomach ache after eating lollipops bought from a vendor outside Sinamuva Primary School, reports The Witness. They were taken to a nearby clinic and 10 were discharged and returned to school on Friday, while one was recovering at home.
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education Spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi confirmed the incident and said samples of the lollipops had been taken for testing.
A meeting between police, the Department of Education, and school authorities was held at the school on Friday to address the matter.
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