PERM, October 21 (Itar-Tass) - During four days, 147 people suffering poisoning have been received in hospitals in Perm, and 106 of them have been hospitalized. Ninety nine patients still remain in hospitals, a city health department source told Itar-Tass.
No new cases among children or adults were reported on Monday. Two children have been transferred from intensive care units to general wards. All the ill children are undergoing a complete course of treatment. There are no problems with medicines or medical care, the head of the city administration’s health department, Yuri Pavletsov, said.
As was expected, the number of disease cases reached its peak on October 17-18. No children from School No 40 with intestinal infection symptoms were taken to hospitals on Sunday. For the present, 99 patients are in hospitals, and about 40 take treatment at home. Among the patients are two adults, teachers from the school. There is no threat to the lives and health of all the inpatients and outpatients. All receive good medical treatment, Pavletsov said. According to earlier reports, two children were in intensive care units.
A conclusion about the mass poisoning among schoolchildren will be known when specialists of the federal public health control agency (Rospotrebnadzor) receive test results.
All the children took meals at the school. The school catering is managed by an individual entrepreneur. According to the information of the Perm regional prosecutor's office, the children on October 16 ate pies with onion and egg stuffing, borsch and chops.
Rospotrebnadzor specialists launched an epidemiological investigation on October 17. They examined the kitchen, took food samples for tests and imposed quarantine till October 22. The kitchen is closed for some period.
The main thing is to take all anti-epidemic measures to prevent the infection from spreading, chief regional epidemiologist Larisa Kudryavtseva noted. The kitchen staff undergoes medical examination, she said.
Two criminal cases are opened on charges of production, storage, transportation and sale of products and providing of services that do not meet safety requirements and also on charges of sanitary regulations violation that caused poisoning and a mass disease.
The school is closed for quarantine until Wednesday. The Perm education department together with Rospotrebnadzor will decide when to resume studies at the school. The premises are disinfected. The kitchen workers are replaced.
In accordance with city manager Anatoly Makhovikov's instructions, the education department has launch its probe and will take disciplinary measures against officials responsible for control over children's school meals, deputy administration head Yekaterina Berber said. Responsible for the infection spread are kitchen workers, entrepreneur Vekshina and suppliers of food products.