Of 58 minors who were affected by massive intoxication in a private school in Cali, 21 had to be referred to medical centers and 3 continued, until Monday, under medical observation for gastric problems.
The poisoning, which affected boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 10 at the San Cayetano Educational Institution, in the east of the city, would have been registered last Friday between noon and 3:00 pm, however, the Secretariat of Education received the report of what happened until Sunday afternoon.
José Darwin Lenis, Secretary of Education of the city, confirmed that this is the first case reported so far this year in the city. According to what the Secretary learned, the children had lunch that day and after approximately two hours, the students felt bad, they presented vomiting, diarrhea, fever and general malaise.
“Father John Alberto Vargas, rector of the School, acted as it should be, by giving priority to the attention of the students who had to be taken to medical centers, reporting what happened to the Secretary of Health and the EPS, and to us. find out if it was a product that caused the problem,” Lenis said.
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In addition to the minors who are still hospitalized, the remaining 18, with greater affectation, are at home with recommended medical treatment (antibiotics).
Therefore, from the Secretary of Education of Cali it was indicated that the school must present, as soon as possible, a formal report of what happened and the actions that were taken to address the situation and depending on it, take some measures. .
“For example, we can ask the Ministry of Health to evaluate the asepsis conditions, where the food is prepared, the state of the restaurant, the kitchen, and even the handlers. We will be able to request them to make an inspection and surveillance visit and depending on the report that the Secretary of Health gives us, it will be closed or a type of recommendation will be made,” the Secretary noted.
Likewise, he explained that, as this fact occurred in an institution that is not benefited from the School Feeding Plan, PAE, “it is the decision of the parents and the school boards whether or not to file a lawsuit against the operator, according to the results of the visit of the Ministry of Health”, concluded Lenis.
In this regard, the rector of the Institution, Father John Alberto Vargas, assured that, although it is still not clear what the food that caused the poisoning to the minors was, investigations are already being carried out to clarify what happened.
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“We are waiting for the exact diagnosis of the intoxication; fortunately, almost all the students are already at home. However, we are waiting for the results provided by the interdisciplinary Health team that, together with an epidemiologist, are leading carry out the corresponding investigation”, commented the Rector.
In relation to how the affected students are, Father Vargas explained that some minors report cases of virosis and others of gastroenteritis. Similarly, the rector indicated that from the Ministry of Health they contacted the school to inspect what happened.
“I want to thank José Darwin Lenis for his accompaniment to the school and the families of the students in the medical centers. In the same way, I want to thank the Ministry of Health of Cali, an entity that quickly took action to inspect what happened and know the state of health of minors,” he specified.