Over 100 at North Vista Primary hit by vomiting and diarrhoea

SINGAPORE - More than 100 pupils and staff at North Vista Primary School have reported vomiting and having diarrhoea since Thursday.

Investigations are ongoing, said school vice-principal Lim Mei Lee.

Meanwhile, the school in Sengkang has stepped up cleaning by all its canteen vendors, who have been reminded to practise hygienic food handling. Cleaning is also being carried out in other parts of the school, said Mrs Lim.

"All students have been reminded to observe proper hygiene such as washing their hands before they consume food," she said.

The father of a sick child who declined to be named said his daughter had a sudden onset of vomiting at about 11pm on Thursday. She then vomited four times more in the next hour, whereupon her parents sought medical help for her at Changi General Hospital. The Primary 3 pupil is now recovering at home.

"It is likely that the canteen food she had caused the vomiting," the father said, adding that the rest of the family was fine after dinner.

Mrs Lim said the school is monitoring the well-being of all staff and pupils, and had advised parents to seek medical treatment if a child is unwell.

In a joint statement, the Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency, as well as the PUB and the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority, confirmed they had been notified of the cases, and said investigations are ongoing.

"As a precautionary measure, we have advised the school to conduct thorough cleaning of the school premises, and remind the students and staff to maintain good personal hygiene, such as frequent washing of hands," they said.

This article was first published on February 07, 2015.
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