4000 children sick Norovirus in school meals?

Did the virus come with the school food delivered? Around 4,000 children in four federal states suffer from gastrointestinal diseases

28/09/2012

After thousands of children in four East German states presumably suffer from norovirus, many schools and day care centers are closed. The kindergarten and school children suffer from abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea, as the health authorities said. The cause is still unclear, the authorities suspect that the delivered school lunch could have been virally contaminated.

Was the delivered school meal guilty? The health authorities of the countries are now investigating this question after several thousand pupils suffer from gastrointestinal diseases. Because all affected schools and kindergartens were supplied with lunch by one and the same supplier, this could be the cause.

Three children hospitalized
It is still unclear how many children are ill, it may be according to authorities some thousands. Three students showed such severe stomach problems, so that had to be hospitalized in a hospital, as the Berlin Senate Administration for Health and Social Affairs on Thursday with reference to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced. All other children are cared for outpatient by paediatricians.

The trigger could be a norovirus infection
The trigger is the aggressive Noro virus suspected. Patients suffer from severe vomiting diarrhea and nausea. In a stable immune system, the infectious disease healed without consequences after about three days. However, the disease can be dangerous in weakened persons, because the body loses a lot of fluid as a result of the defense fight. Therefore, care should be taken to ensure adequate fluid intake to prevent internal dehydration.

Some schools already closed
According to the current state of knowledge, all schools and day-care centers concerned were supplied by the same food manufacturer. „It is headquartered in Rüsselsheim and operates regional locations in many border countries“, like a Ulrich Aries of the Brandenburg Department of Health and Consumer Protection in the Ministry of Health opposite the TV program „Abendschau“ of the Rundfunk Berlin-Brandburg (RBB) said. Due to the severity of the occurrence, some schools in Brandenburg and Berlin were closed at least until the weekend to avoid further spread.

However, closure of the plant was not an option at the moment. „We see no reason to close the operation“, such a spokeswoman for the Thuringian supervisory authorities. In the past, there have never been hygienic problems with the food producer. The county veterinary office has arranged for precautionary additional cleaning measures and disinfections of the probably affected manufacturing company. There is currently no opinion from the company.

First patient cases already on Tuesday
„The first complaints occurred on Tuesday evening“, as the Ministry of Social Affairs of Saxony reports. Again, the authorities assume that it Noroviruses are the trigger. So far, patient cases have been reported in Thuringia, Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony.

The Robert Koch Institute in Berlin is based on a patient count of around 4,000 children, educators and teachers. Other media reports assume a number of about 2500 people infected. In Brandenburg alone, more than 1,100 people were reported to the Ministry of Health. Since the beginning of the week, around 600 children with symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting have been registered in the federal state of Saxony. The Senate Administration in Berlin stated, „400 cases have occurred in five districts“. The district office Saalfeld-Rudolstadt speaks in this context of 340 patients in Thuringia.

First lab results expected in the afternoon
It is not yet proven how it came to the outbreak. It is also unclear whether the Noro virus was actually the cause. The RKI did not want to confirm information after the Noro virus. Currently, the health and food authorities are feverishly looking for the pathogens and triggers. The responsible health authorities, ministries of the federal states and authorities work together. Because the extent of the wave of infection is very pronounced, the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety joined in with the RKI. The four federal states involved want to coordinate with the federal institutes and authorities today about concrete measures, as the spokeswoman of the Berlin health administration, Regina Kneiding, announced on request. The first analysis results of the laboratory tests are expected later this afternoon.

The Brandenburg head of the health unit said: "We looked at the caterer's regional kitchens, certain foods may no longer be spent". And the Secretary of State Emine Demirbüken-Wegner (CDU) told the Berliner Abendschau: „Further steps will be discussed with the help of a coordination center in the Senate Department Berlin“. All hospitals were informed as a precaution. (Sb)

Image: Public Address Press Agency