Food poisoning in Barysaŭ reported at 11 child daycare centers

June 4, Pozirk. Children at 11 daycare centers in Barysaŭ, a city of about 135,000 residents in the Minsk region, fell sick with food poisoning on June 2 and 3, according to the health ministry.

A total of 30 children between two and eight years of age were admitted to the infectious diseases hospital with vomiting, abdominal pain and weakness, the ministry said. Twenty-seven of them were hospitalized, with doctors suspecting acute gastroenteritis and describing their symptoms as “moderately severe.”

Eight children had been discharged from hospital as of 6 p.m. on June 3.

Health authorities launched an inquiry to establish the cause of the outbreak. The Investigative Committee is probing the incident by order of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

On June 3, state media reported that 27 preschool-age children were brought to the Barysaŭ Central District Hospital on Tuesday after they developed nausea and vomiting.

The Minsk region’s chief sanitary doctor, Alaksandr Tarasienka, said that the situation is “stable” and the children’s condition is “satisfactory.”