Tshwane health department probes food-borne disease case at Soshanguve School
On Wednesday, 23 August, 78 students fell ill after eating school food. Rushed to hospitals, most recovered by Thursday.
Tshwane Health is helping Gauteng investigate a food-related illness at Soshanguve’s Rodney Mokoena Primary School.
Last Wednesday,23 August, 78 students got sick from school food. They got treatment at different hospitals, and most left by Thursday.
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TSHWANE HEALTH INVESTIGATING FOOD-BORNE DISEASE AT SCHOOL
Tshwane Health workers are part of the inquiry, taking food, water, and surface samples for lab tests. The results are expected next week.
“As the MMC responsible for Health, I personally visited the school on Friday and met with the acting school principal. My team and I inspected the facility where food is prepared for the learners.”
“Furthermore, our EHPs used the opportunity to brief food handlers on the correct way to handle food,” said Rina Marx.
STATEMENT: City of Tshwane Health Department assisting with investigation into a possible food-borne disease incident at Soshanguve school. @CityTshwane pic.twitter.com/LjOaKkgKD7
— Cilliers Brink (@CilliersB) August 28, 2023
The recent event highlighted how crucial municipal health services (MHS) are, overseen by the Health Department.
“MHS aims to maintain a clean, safe environment by preventing diseases, checking water quality, ensuring safe food, and creating pollution-free spaces. It focuses on safeguarding vulnerable groups like kids and seniors.”
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EVERY MUNICIPALITY MAKES SURE RULES ARE FOLLOWED
“Keeping an eye on food safety and hygiene is a vital part of MHS,” said Marx.
Starting in March 2012, every municipality took on the task of making sure all government-owned places followed health rules.
“Our small yet devoted Tshwane team works hard to ensure compliance. They do this by conducting checks and keeping an eye on things.”
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“Lately, we have had incidents of food poisoning , especially in the Tshwane area.”
DA member of the provincial legislature Khume Ramulifho says what happened there is unfortunate, emphasising the importance of following hygiene and safety protocols.