Sharjah food poisoning: School not guilty of negligence

The Emirates National School in Sharjah, where 25 students recently suffered food poisoning, has been found not guilty of negligence.

According to a report issued by the public health department at Sharjah Municipality, the children became unwell after eating food they had bought during a charity bazaar.

Shaikha Shaza Al Mualla, director of the public health department at Sharjah Municipality, stressed that the school is not at fault as it doesn't have a canteen to serve food. The students brought food from their houses. Some of them bought readymade food from restaurants and bakeries which caused the illness.

The moment the municipality received the complaints from the ministry of health it immediately formed a team of inspectors and investigators in coordination with concerned department to determine the cause of the food poisoning.

The team held a meeting with the school management, who said that the school had organized a food charity bazaar, the proceeds of which would go to charity organization to support the needy. They said a number of teachers and students of grade 9 and 10 brought various type of food and sold it in the bazaar.

A top official at Sharjah Education zone said that as part of its concerns on the students health, they also formed committee to follow the case with concerned departments. "The student's health is one of the top priorities of the Ministry of Education and Sharjah Education zone strategy, we will not tolerate nay negligence that could pose the students health to danger," she added.

The official explained that in case the school and its canteen were blamed for the illness, the department would take serious action against them.

Parents of the students believe that their students ate type of food which they were not used to eating, this the only reason they became ill.

Mr. Hussain said his daughter, Neha, and her sister were discharged from the hospital all healthy and fine.

A medical official at Zulekha Hospital said that the some of the students were discharged the same day and some spent two days in the hospital and were all provided with best care and treatment services.