According to Modiba, investigations revealed that a 28-year-old man, who is the uncle to two of the children, had shared potato chips with them.
He was also admitted to hospital after displaying food poisoning symptoms and discharged the after day, he said.
Modiba said 207 food poisoning cases affecting children have been reported across the province since the beginning of February and 10 resulted in deaths.
“Most of these incidents saw Ekurhuleni district recording 119 cases with four deaths, followed by Johannesburg with 40 cases, Tshwane had 31 cases resulting in three deaths, while West Rand district had 14 cases and Sedibeng district has three cases and three deaths.
He said parents and caregivers must exercise extreme caution to ensure the safety of their children.
According to Modiba, the food poisoning cases affecting children were particularly in townships, informal settlements and hostel communities.
He also said some spaza shop owners were found to sleep inside the shops which further compromises the hygiene standards. He said the presence of pets in some spaza shops also raises additional concerns about potential contamination.
“It is advisable to consider preparing lunch boxes for children instead of giving them money to buy food at school. Municipalities are urged to also intensify their efforts in enforcing bylaws around the zoning of spaza shops and clamping down on those that do not comply with environmental health requirements,” advised Modiba.
Gauteng MEC for health and wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said they were “deeply concerned” concerned with the rising incidents of the deaths of children related to foodborne illnesses.
“We are working closely with multiple stakeholders and the Gauteng department of education to heighten awareness in TISH communities and conduct health education sessions in schools targeting learners, and school vendors. These sessions focus on the importance of hand hygiene, proper food handling and preparation, water hygiene, clean environments, sanitation, and food expiry dates among other topics,” she said.
Nkomo-Ralehoko further called on parents and guardians to take greater responsibility by educating their children to be careful about what they consume.
“The whole of society needs to play an active role in this area including discouraging illegal dumping as this also poses a threat to human health, leading to various diseases and illnesses,” said Nkomo-Ralehoko.
Nandi Ntini
www.sowetanlive.co.za
