More than
200 children in Swaziland were treated for food poisoning after allegedly being
served contaminated meat at school.
It came
as schools throughout the kingdom struggle to feed children because the Swazi
Government has not paid monies owed.
The
emergency happened at Mphundle High, the Swazi
Observer reported on Tuesday (20 June 2017).
The
newspaper reported, ‘Over half of the total number of pupils at the school is
said to have complained of severe stomach pains, diarrhoea and vomiting.’
It added,
‘Some of these allegedly vomited in the middle of lessons, throwing a serious
wave of panic among the teachers.’
Paramedics
were called to the school and pupils needing urgent medical attention were
taken to nearby health clinics where some were later transferred to hospitals.
The
newspaper said pupils ate beef and rice during their lunch break the previous
day, ‘a meal which is suspected to have been the cause of their illness’. All
children have reportedly recovered.
Deputy
Regional Education Officer Dzabulase Mthupha confirmed the incident.
The outbreak of food poisoning came after for the second term running
children across Swaziland have been
sent home early from classes because there is no food for them. This is because
the Swazi Government has failed to deliver food,
known locally as zondle, to poverty-stricken areas of the kingdom.
The Ministry of Education
and Training delivers about four 50kgs of rice and six to 10 to 50kgs of
mealie-meal, depending on the size of the school and beans in each school to
last a month.
The situation has not
changed since the start of the February 2017 school term.
According to the World
Food Program about 350,000 Swazi people from a population of 1.3 million need
assistance with food following the drought. Chronic
malnutrition is a main concern in Swaziland: stunting affects 26 percent of
children aged under five years.
See also
NO FOOD SO SCHOOLKIDS SENT HOME
HUNGER FORCES SCHOOLS TO CLOSE EARLY
SWAZI
KING GETS NEW JET AS PEOPLE STARVE
DROUGHT: ‘PEOPLE DIED OF HUNGER’
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