Food po!soning: 40 children in Soweto consume rat po!son, mistaking it for sweets.

The worrying increase in food poisoning cases, which has raised concerns for the Gauteng Department of Health, comes after it was reported that 41 children had eaten rat poison that they had mistaken for candy.

According to the department, the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto is providing medical care to forty-one children aged three to five.

The Gauteng Department of Health said on Monday, April 15, a total of 41 children between the ages of three and five who have allegedly consumed rat poison, mistaking it for candy, have been receiving medical treatment at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

40 pre-school children consume rat poison mistaking it for candy

The Gauteng Department says 41 children between three and five have been receiving medical treatment at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto after they allegedly consumed rat poison they mistook for candy… pic.twitter.com/RMHFl33uV5

— MDN NEWS (@MDNnewss) April 16, 2024

Upon medical examination of the 41 children, 17 were admitted on Monday afternoon at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital for overnight observation, while the remaining 24 were discharged home in satisfactory condition.The incident reportedly happened at a preschool, and more investigations are ongoing to establish the truth.

Four kids—ages two, three, six, and nine—were brought to Pholosong Regional Hospital in Tsakane earlier this year after what appeared to be a case of food poisoning.

Sadly, the fifth child—a six-year-old Mandlethu Primary School first-grader who had begun vomiting in class—was pronounced dead when the paramedics arrived.

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According to The South African, ten individuals, comprising two adults and eight children, were referred from Ramokonopi Community Health Centre to Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital in Ekurhuleni on Monday night due to a second case of food poisoning.

The two adults were released from the department this morning after obtaining medical attention last night, and two youngsters were also released this morning. The six surviving youngsters, on the other hand, are still hospitalized and in stable condition.
In addition, the department said these two incidents bring the total number of food-borne incidents recorded cumulatively to 863, which have sadly claimed 11 lives since the first incident in October 2023.

“The Department calls on all arms of society, particularly parents and caregivers, to play their part in protecting children from the risks of food poisoning to safeguard their health and prevent further incidents,” the department urged