Central Japan City Hit by Apparent Mass Food Poisoning

Toyama, June 17 (Jiji Press)--Numerous students and preschoolers in the central Japan city of Toyama have developed symptoms such as stomachache in what appears to be a case of mass food poisoning, the city government said Thursday.

Milk served with school lunches is believed to be responsible for the ailments of those affected, sources at a local public health center said. The city government conducted an on-site inspection of the company that produced the milk in question to determine the cause of the apparent food poisoning case.

As of Thursday morning, 391 students and staff workers at 13 elementary and junior high schools and 73 children at five preschool facilities in the capital city of Toyama Prefecture were absent, the city said.

In the afternoon, the number of absentees at the schools rose by one to 392 while 438 people left school early on the day as they felt sick. The number of preschoolers who were absent or went home early came to 100, the authorities said.

Affected people are showing symptoms such as diarrhea, stomachache, vomiting and fever, but no one is in serious condition, city officials said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]