More pupils rushed to hospital in Mpumalanga


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More than 50 pupils of Lundanda Primary School in Mahushu near Hazyview in Mpumalanga were rushed to a local clinic after complaining of itchy bodies.

It is alleged that this happened after they consumed chocolates they bought from a local tuck-shop.

Mpumalanga Department of Education spokesperson Gerald Sambo says some of the learners were referred to a nearby hospital for further assessment.

“We have received a report from Lundanda Primary School that some learners started complaining about itchiness on their bodies. And it said that they bought the chocolates from one of the local spaza shops, and the school has actually went to the spaza shop to confirm, and they confirmed that they do sell that particular product,” says Sambo.

The department has lauded the school for the urgency with which they handled the situation, also confirming that the children have been released from the healthcare facilities.

“The school was very much proactive when they called the parents of the learners, but also rushed the learners to the Mshadza clinic where some of them were referred to Themba Hospital. But we can confirm that all of them are currently released from the hospital to the care of their parents,” says Sambo.

This is after 50 learners from Dzumeri Primary School at Ndhambi village in Giyani have been taken to hospital due to a suspected food-borne illness.

Health Spokesperson Neil Shikwambana says the learners were sent to Nkensani Hospital after complaining of abdominal pains, with some indicating that they have been vomiting.

“Well, at this stage, we can also indicate that 11 more learners have been added to the 39 number, which makes it 50 now. The report that we got from our medical team is that all learners look stable and that they are attended (to) by 13 doctors and staff at the hospital in the greater Giyani area,” he says.

Shikwambana says the cause of the learners’ condition is being investigated.

“The common thing that the learners have eaten is a meal that they had at school, which is milk and pap, that they had today. It is suspected that it could have come out of that, but we are not sure as of now, because that would need for tests to be run. But that is the information that we got,” says Shikwambana.