BLANTYRE, Malawi, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- About 130 students from a secondary school in Malawi's commercial city of Blantyre were rushed to hospital on Monday after they presented with serious signs of suspected food poisoning, according to local authorities.
The Ministry of Education said on Monday morning that 45 students were rushed to hospital and that 42 responded to the treatment and got discharged while three students were still admitted.
But a statement, released by the Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) late Monday afternoon, said a total of 131 students (from Lunzu Secondary School) were affected, and 53 students were treated as outpatients while 78 students were admitted to the hospital.
Some 36 students were later discharged from the hospital, while 42 students were still admitted as of Monday evening for close monitoring, according to the statement signed by Gift Kawalazira, director of Health and Social Services for the Blantyre DHO.
"The students had developed diarrhea, and they were rushed to the nearest health facility upon being noted. None of them is critically ill, and they will be discharged from the hospital soon," said the statement.
According to the statement, preliminary findings indicated that the incident may have resulted from poisoned flour, which was used to prepare the pulp that was given to the students.
Kawalazira said it is suspected that the maize from which the flour was produced had some preservation chemicals that had not expired, thereby making the pulp made from it not safe for human consumption.
The school has since been ordered to withdraw the entire lot of maize and flour, and provide rice to the students instead, as the authorities investigate the batch of the supply further.
A video clip of the incident featuring the students being rushed to hospital went viral on social media on Monday morning, causing fears among parents and the public at large. ■
