The last of the 16 children who were taken to hospital on Friday following bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting was to have been discharged from hospital yesterday after being kept for observation and the completion of medical tests, as it was revealed that contaminated icicles might have caused their illness.
On Friday 16 children from the Sophia Care Centre were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital complaining of stomach cramps and with vomitting and diarrhoea.
Ann Greene, Head of Child Care and Protection Agency, told Stabroek News that the matter was still being investigated by her agency to determine a cause.
She dismissed claims that the water at the centre where the children fell ill was contaminated as samples were taken and tested on Friday and were found not to be contaminated.
She explained that the drinking water supply comes from a reputable water company and that all 100 of the children at the centre use the same water.
A source from the centre told Stabroek News that it appeared that the children may have contracted food poisoning from icicles they were given by a nearby vendor. The source said that when checks were made the common factor with all 16 children was that they came from one particular school and that they had eaten surplus icicles of a vendor who didn’t want to take them back home.
When asked about this, Greene said that all claims are being checked. She stressed that it is for safety and health issues that persons are screened before taking food to share at the centre.
Greene added that pupils are told daily to be careful of what and where they eat but that adherence was difficult given that the children are aged 4 to 12 years old. She said that they continue to edify and sensitise the children on the issue.
A GPH official said that by today, a diagnosis and report will be given to the relevant authorities based on findings of the tests and evaluations that were done on the children.
