More than 1,000 children fall ill after horror outbreak from school meals | World | News
Thousands of schoolchildren have fallen ill in a food poisoning outbreak in Indonesia. The Asian country’s government has been facing calls to suspend President Prabowo Subianto ’s multi-billion-pound free meals scheme in response to the horrific wave of sickness.
Television reports showed hospital wards filled with children, with some crying in pain clutching their tummies. Police and health workers took other victims away in ambulances, vans and lorries. The Free Nutritious Meal scheme started in January with the aim of fighting malnutrition by feeding nearly 90 million children and pregnant women.
The initiative is expected to cost £21billion ($28bn) and delivers on a campaign pledge by Mr Subianto. Indonesia has a population of more than 282 million people and is southeast Asia’s biggest economy.
The National Nutrition Agency recorded about 1,376 cases of school-linked food poisoning cases between January and the end of June. The number of pupils affected rose to 4,711 this week, with more than 1,000 victims reported in hardest hit West Java province alone.
Agency chief Dadan Hindayana said kitchens with poisoning cases had been suspended and local governments had set up task forces made up of nutritionists and health workers to supervise the free meals.
Mr Hindayana said: “The total number of food poisonings was only 4,711 portions out of one billion portions cooked during the nine-month program. Of course this can still be improved.”
Muhammad Qodari, Head of the Presidential Staff Office, said on Thursday that several government institutions have identified more than 5,000 food poisoning victims linked to the school meals program.
He said the Ministry of Health recorded 5,207 cases and the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency reported 5,320.
Dedi Mulyadi, Governor of West Java, said more than 470 students fell sick in Bandung on Monday after eating the free lunches and three more outbreaks were reported on Wednesday in the Sukabumi region, affecting at least 580 children.
Several hundred sick children were also reported from other areas in the province on Thursday, bringing the total victims to at least 1,775. Mr Mulyadi said pupils complained of shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness and severe stomach pain.
The Centre for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives said the latest data suggests the number of reported cases represents the “tip of the iceberg”. Diah Saminarsih, Chief Executive of the non-profit organisation, said: “The true number of cases is suspected to be significantly higher as many are reluctant to report what really happened. We call to suspend the program due to health concern.”
Watchdog the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network said the free meals program had failed. Ubaid Matraji, the network’s coordinator, said: “We call on President Prabowo Subianto to temporarily halt the free meal program and conduct a thorough evaluation. Child safety must be placed above the government’s political goals.”
He added: “We must evaluate those running the programs that have caused health concerns and [the traumatisation] of children. At this time, ensuring children are well cared for is our priority. We are also facing how to deal with the students’ trauma after eating the food.”
