GEORGIYEVSK, Russia, Sept. 3 For the second time in less than a month, Russian school children have been felled by food poisoning that left scores of them hospitalized.
In the latest incident, 99 of 203 children in the Georgiyevsk school district in the Stavropol territory who got sick with dysentery Thursday were taken to hospitals, Itar-Tass reported Sunday. The rest were treated at home for nausea, fever and headaches.
Nikolai Kovalyov, chief public health official for the region, told the news agency the children became ill after drinking a fermented milk beverage called kefir, which is touted for its health benefits. Kovalyov said the flagrant violations of sanitary and health rules had been found and a criminal case was being prepared against the maker.
Another instance of kefir poisoning sickened 128 children and one adult in Blagodarny in mid-August.
The dairy factories involved have been closed.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
