Pretoria – The Gauteng Department of Health says investigations are underway into the cause of suspected food poisoning and the death of a pupil at Aurora Comprehensive School in Ekurhuleni.
Aurora Comprehensive School is a boarding school that provides lodging to 153 children of primary school going age. It is situated on a plot in Bapsfontein on the R25.
On 18 April, 11 pupils initially complained of headache, stomach ache, nausea and vomiting. They were sent to Arwyp Hospital where four were admitted and seven were treated and sent back to the school.
A seven-year-old girl died on 19 April on the school grounds. After her death, another 15 pupils were sent to Tembisa Hospital, where one was admitted and 14 discharged.
No other cases have been reported to date.
Department spokesperson Chris Maxon said food samples, including water from the borehole used by the school, were taken from the school. The samples were still at Wits’s NHLS Infection Control Services Laboratory for chemical and bacteriological analyses.
The Ekurhuleni District Outbreak Response Team has been informed of the incident. A team, including the Director of Environmental Health from Ekurhuleni Metro, has also visited the school to conduct an investigation.
The District Surveillance Officer visited the Arwyp and Tembisa Hospitals on 23 April to gather additional information on the pupils. A report on this aspect of the investigation is still pending. – SAnews.gov.za
